In 1848, Ranald MacDonald, the son of a Chinook chief and a Scottish settler, staged a shipwreck near Rishiri Island to gain entry into Japan — then a closed country under isolationist policies. Despite being briefly imprisoned upon his arrival in Japan, MacDonald ultimately became a highly influential figure in fostering US-Japan relations. Rebecca Rosman brings us the story from Rishiri Island, in Hokkaido.
This story originally aired on Feb. 4, 2025.
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