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Murakami, Haruki

(Encyclopedia)Murakami, Haruki häro͞oˈkē mo͝orˌäkäˈmē [key], 1949–, Japanese novelist. He lived in Europe and the United States from 1986 to 1995. Widely considered one of Japan's most important contemp...

Nanjing

(Encyclopedia)Nanjing nănˈkĭngˈ [key] [southern capital], city (1994 est. pop. 2,224,200), capital of Jiangsu prov., E central China, in a bend of the Chang (Yangtze) River. It has served at times in the past a...

Mifune, Toshiro

(Encyclopedia)Mifune, Toshiro təshērˈō mĭfo͞oˈnē [key], 1920–97, Japanese actor, b. Qingdao, China. Mifune was a versatile actor, noted for a wide range of roles in more than 120 films. He appeared in mor...

Hukbalahap

(Encyclopedia)Hukbalahap (Huk) ho͝okˌbälähäpˈ [key], Communist-led guerrilla movement in the Philippines. It developed during World War II as a guerrilla army to fight the Japanese; the name is a contraction ...

devaluation

(Encyclopedia)devaluation, decreasing the value of one nation's currency relative to gold or the currencies of other nations. It is usually undertaken as a means of correcting a deficit in the balance of payments. ...

Sesshu

(Encyclopedia)Sesshu sĕsˈsho͞oˌ [key], 1420–1506, foremost Japanese master of ink painting (suiboku) and Zen Buddhist priest, also known as Sesshu Toyo. He may have studied under Shubun in Kyoto. He made a tr...

Ozaki, Yukio

(Encyclopedia)Ozaki, Yukio yo͞oˈkēō ōzäˈkē [key], 1859–1954, Japanese statesman, the outstanding liberal of late 19th-century and early 20th-century Japan. A newspaper editor, he helped Okuma form the Kai...

Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro

(Encyclopedia)Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro dīˈsĕts tātäˈrō so͞ozo͞oˈkē [key], 1870–1966, Japanese Buddhist scholar, educated at Tokyo Univ. After studying (1897–1909) in the United States, he became a lec...

Bonin Islands

(Encyclopedia)Bonin Islands bōˈnīn [key], Jap. Ogasawara-gunto, volcanic island group, c.40 sq mi (100 sq km), in the W Pacific Ocean, c.500 mi (800 km) S of Tokyo; part of Tokyo prefecture, Japan. The largest a...

Yushan

(Encyclopedia)Yushan, Yu Shan, or Mount Morrison, 13,113 ft (3,997 m) high, S Taiwan; highest peak on the island. It was first ascended in 1896 by a Japanese expedition. ...