The first novel ever written, The Tale of Genji, was written in Japan in the 11th century by a noblewoman named Murasaki Shikibu.

Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata in 2003, is a popular manga and anime series that follows a high school student who gains the power to kill anyone whose name he writes in a special notebook.

The Showa period, which lasted from 1926 to 1989, was marked by Japan's militarism and involvement in World War II.