That's the theory put forward by our guest on Deep Dive this week, Matt Alt, the author of the recently published book, "Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World."

Taking its title from a quote by Oscar Wilde, "Pure Invention" is a cultural history of postwar Japan, told through the lens of the country's superstar inventions and how they spread across the globe. Hosted by Oscar Boyd. 

Read/hear more: 

Pac-Man: How a faceless character based on eating changed video game history (Russell Thomas, The Japan Times)

Founder of Hello Kitty creator Sanrio steps down after 60-year stint (The Japan Times)

On Walkman's 40th anniversary, Sony opens retro exhibition in Ginza (Hinano Kobayashi, The Japan Times)

Episode 50: How the 'murder hornet' got its name (Deep Dive)

Sign up to the Deep Dive mailing list and be notified every time a new episode comes out. Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Photo via Wikimedia Commons