Methamphetamine was first synthesized in Japan in 1919 by chemist Akira Ogata, who developed a crystalline powder form of the stimulant. This discovery, which took place in a Tokyo laboratory, would later lead to widespread military use during World War II and a post-war epidemic of addiction, cementing methamphetamine's place as a major global drug of abuse.

The discovery of methamphetamine in Japan is a significant scientific event with profound literary consequences, as the drug became a symbol of the destructive potential of modern chemistry. The stimulant's role in Japanese society has been explored in post-war literature, including the works of Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburō Ōe, who examined the relationship between technology, state power, and individual consciousness.