Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond: Assessing Authenticity in You Only Live Twice

You Only Live Twice (1967) saw James Bond team up with the Japanese Secret Service to navigate the choppy waters of Cold War tensions between the USA and Russia, both of which had been pitted against each other by a nefarious criminal mastermind. Bond embraces Japanese culture, to the point of taking not only a Japanese wife, but a Japanese identity. This article will examine the authenticity of the depiction of 1960's Japan, from customs and manners, to the actual Cold War tensions that were bubbling under the surface of contemporary Japan, which would result in the Japanese university protests the following year.