Christian Polak is a distinguished scholar and businessman. He is the author of numerous books and essays on the history of Franco-Japanese relations with particular reference to the nineteenth century. He is an associate-researcher at l’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales of Paris and an associate-professor at the School of Politics Sciences of Meiji University in Tokyo.Cortazzi Hugh :

Sir Hugh Cortazzi, GCMG, was British Ambassador to Japan 1980-1984 and Chairman of The Japan Society, London, 1985-1995. He has written extensively on Japan. His many books include Isles of Gold: Antique Maps of Japan (1983), The Japanese Achievement (1990) and his memoir Japan and Back and Places Elsewhere (1998). He compiled and edited seven volumes of Britain & Japan: Biographical Portraits, most recently volume X (2016).Christian Polak is a distinguished scholar and businessman. He is the author of numerous books and essays on the history of Franco-Japanese relations with particular reference to the nineteenth century. He is an associate-researcher at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris, and is also an associate-professor at Meiji University’s School of Political Science, Tokyo.