This video is a little long-but provides an interesting view of the gamut of Japanese history, albeit told from an American viewpoint. Enjoy it. I did.
In nine minutes, Wurtz goes through a broad but very entertaining history of Japan: theearly settlement through frozen land bridges, the spread of rice cultivation, the internal wars Japanese states fought before final unification, Japan’s attempts to shield itself from the rest of the world until America and other Western countries intervened, the world wars, and, finally, modern Japan.
The video is not comprehensive — after all, it’s only nine minutes to explain the history of a country that spans thousands of years. It doesn’t include, for example, the atrocities Japan committed against Korea and China during and between the world wars, such as the Rape of Nanking and Japan’s use of Korean sex slaves.