Inspiration cuts both ways, and Star Wars has had almost as big an influence on Japanese culture as that culture had on George Lucas. Lucas, along with Coppola, paid his debt to Kurosawa by producing his 1980 film Kagemusha. The most pervasive influence in Japan has been the Star Wars lightsaber. Examples of “laser swords” have turned up in anime like Tenchi Muyo (from 1992; Tenchi wields a familiar ‘energy sword’), Gin Tama (from 2006; swords are banned by aliens, so heroes have ‘beam swords’ made of light), and Slayers (from 2008; another lightsaberstyle blade). There was a space opera anime boom in Japan afterStar Wars, withSpace Pirate Captain Harlock(TV, 1978-79),Mobile Suit Gundam(TV, 1979-80),Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie(1982), andSuper Dimension Fortress Macross (TV, 1982-83), among others. Star Wars toys were…