Ian Sansom

Why are the Japanese so obsessed with the cute?

Some see it as a way of appearing harmless after the second world war – but an infantile delight in frolicking animals dates back to at least the 12th century

The Scroll of Frolicking Animals (detail; Japan, 12th-13th century). [Getty Images]

  • Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World

    Joshua Paul Dale

    Profile, pp. 288, £18

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