SUBODHANA WIJEYERATNE

The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan’s Space Programs will be released 27th January 2026!

I’m delighted to announce that my first academic book – The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan’s Space Programs will be released by Stanford University Press in January 2026. The work covers the history of spacefaring in Japan, from its earliest proponents in the 1900s, through to the successes of the Hayabusa missions…

Come join my AMA on r/AskHistorians tomorrow!

I’ll be conducting an AMA on Reddit’s r/AskHistorians subreddit tomorrow, 0900-1200 EST. Come along and ask me all the questions about Japanese rocketry you like!

Check out my interview with Fraser Cain!

Fancy hearing what my book’s about, but can’t be bothered to read the whole thing? Well, this interview’s for you!

Check out my interview in The Diplomat

Ever wondered how Japan’s space programs developed, but don’t want to read my whole damn book? This interview’s for you!

Come hear me talk in Lafayette, IN on 26th January!

‘The North’ has been published in Khoreo!

My short story ‘The North’ has just been published in Khoreo! You can get a copy at the link below. In this one, I’ve turned from space to the ice and brine of the Arctic — but not, as you’ll see, Earth’s Arctic.

SUBODHANA WIJEYERATNE — The Islands and the Stars out now!