10 episodes, 1961, University of Michigan
From WNET:
"In 1941 Japan was our enemy. By 1951 she had become a staunch ally. Between 1861 and 1961 she made the leap from a Middle Ages culture to a modern one – a transformation that took most European countries four centuries to accomplish. Neither change occurred without tremendous political and social upheavals and enormous tensions and conflicts between the old and the new. In Japan: The Changing Years, these major changes and the resulting tensions are examined by experts who combine academic stature with first-hand knowledge of the country and the conditions they discuss. Films are used extensively to illustrate the points under consideration. These include historic footage shot in 1906 as well as a considerable amount of captured World War II film obtained from the U.S. Army or from the National Archives. Through the cooperation of the Japan Society, Inc., of New York (which shared the cost of producing the series with NETRC) antique prints and paintings and nineteen century photographs were obtained for use. Other still photographs were taken from the book We Japanese, published b Heibonsha of Tokyo. Much of the music was taken from Japanese radio broadcast tapes cleared for use by the Japan Society."