Chris Harding

Cultural historian & broadcaster @EdinburghUni
Weekly essays 👉 👉

[Engelsberg Ideas @EngelsbergIdeas]

For all its elevated sense of history and institutional self-worth, the modern British civil service owes its origins, in part, to China.

Britain’s modern civil service: an idea borrowed from China | @drchrisharding

https://t.co/HRaEfYnG7U

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

@GodAtum Thanks for watching! I was in Japan at the time, so it worked out well. Portillo’s lovely - total gentleman. 😁

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

How does the war in Iran look from Asia? My take:

[Engelsberg Ideas @EngelsbergIdeas]

In the face of the Iran war’s impact on global oil flows, Asian capitals are reassessing energy security and the broader geopolitical map.

The Iran war through Asia’s eyes | @drchrisharding

https://t.co/pIE8jHPoxO

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

This was fun to do!

[History Uncensored @hist_uncensored]

Samurai didn't vanish overnight - they were dismantled, piece by piece.

Bianca Nobilo takes us on a journey through the hidden origin of the legendary warriors.

Just dropped!👇

📺 https://t.co/DrHArGwEUB

@bianca_nobilo | @drchrisharding | @CafeBrownie2 | @piersmorgan

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

@TakeshiMorisato @aeonmag @philosophybites Congrats, looks fascinating!

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

@holland_tom @britishmuseum Kicked off by some taiko drumming!

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

Taiko drumming at the opening reception for @britishmuseum’s fantastic new Samurai exhibition. Already picked up a five-star review in The Guardian. Congrats!

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

The ‘fail fast’ approach to tech innovation didn’t start with Silicon Valley.

After WWII, former Imperial Japanese Navy researchers hung around in a leaky Tokyo shack, building a 35-kg tape recorder that it turned out no-one wanted. Then along came the transistor...

Link in bio

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

UK serving as a cautionary tale in Japan right now...

[Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 @mrjeffu]

Amid pre-election talk from opposition parties and Prime Minister Takaichi about cutting taxes, one Japanese news program noted that cutting taxes without securing new sources of funding for the government could result in a "Japanese Truss Shock."

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

Enjoyed this chat with @NewStatesman. Full conversation here: https://t.co/A7aoxTG4Ea.

[The New Statesman @NewStatesman]

Can foreigners “become” Japanese?

@drchrisharding says it’s an uphill climb…

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

@platospodcasts @RupertSheldrake Congrats on a major milestone! Absolutely love your dialogues.

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

I wonder whether a spell in a Japanese prison might have yielded an interesting song or two...?

[Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 @mrjeffu]

Today is the 46th anniversary of the Japanese arrest of Paul McCartney. He arrived at Narita Airport with about half a pound of marijuana in his suitcase.
He was deported without facing formal criminal charges that could've resulted in a prison sentence.

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

Fun to speak to BBC History Extra about Emperor Hirohito... out now.

[HistoryExtra @HistoryExtra]

On the podcast | Christopher Harding explores the life story of Hirohito, the emperor who reigned over Japan during World War Two and the decades of postwar transition that followed

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

@HistoryExtra Enjoyed this conversation - thanks for having me on the podcast!

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

If you're struggling with your new year's resolutions, take heart: philosophy and neuroscience agree that goals don't make sense

Try a version of Japanese 'kaizen' instead: continuous improvement

Swap your goal for a horizon and find incremental changes to match

Link in Bio

[The Syllabus @syllabus_tweets]

Japan’s leap from isolation to “miracle nation” is messier than nostalgia allows. Opening with Japan’s encounter with Western power, our podcast of the week surveys the long history of the nation’s modernization.

With @drchrisharding on @smartcookiespod

https://t.co/pKDp7h6a6v

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

Happy New Year, when it arrives! Here's a piece I wrote about how Japan sees in the new year...

[Engelsberg Ideas @EngelsbergIdeas]

How Japan marks the turning of the year | @drchrisharding

https://t.co/ZPX6O0QoDv

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

Looking forward to this - come along if you’re nearby!

[Royal Asiatic Society @RAS_Soc]

Our first lecture of 2026 will take place on 8 Jan (Thu), featuring cultural historian Dr Christopher Harding @drchrisharding as he revisits the first century of encounters between Japan and Europe.
Details: https://t.co/VTv789ojzf

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

@AbroadInJapan Many congratulations, Chris!

[Chris Harding @drchrisharding]

Really enjoyed this conversation!

[The Smart Cookies Podcast @smartcookiespod]

From Samurai to Shinkansen - how did JAPAN become a global superpower in just a short few decades? And why is it stagnating today?

Check the thrilling conversation with the eminent historian of Japan @drchrisharding HERE 👇🏻🎌

https://t.co/qrvPFdEmKS