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Japan's Re-emergence as a 'Normal' Military Power (Adelphi series)
by Christopher HughesIs Japan re-emerging as a normal, or even a great, military power in regional and global security affairs? This Adelphi Paper assesses the overall trajectory of Japan’s security policy over the last decade, and the impact of a changing Japanese military posture on the stability of East Asia. The paper examines Japan’s evolving security debate, set against the background of a shifting international environment and domestic policymaking system; the status of Japan’s national military capabilities and constitutional prohibitions; post-Cold War developments in the US Japan alliance; and Japan’s role in multilateral regional security dialogue, UN PKO, and US-led coalitions of the willing. It concludes that Japan is undoubtedly moving along the trajectory of becoming a more assertive military power, and that this trend has been accelerated post-9/11. Japan is unlikely, though, to channel its military power through greatly different frameworks than at present. Japan will opt for the enhanced, and probably inextricable, integration of its military capabilities into the US Japan alliance, rather than pursuing options for greater autonomy or multilateralism. Japan’s strengthened role as the defensive shield for the offensive sword of US power projection will only serve to bolster US military hegemony in East Asia and globally.
Japan's Secret War: How Japan's Race to Build its Own Atomic Bomb Provided the Groundwork for North Korea's Nuclear Program
by Robert K. WilcoxThis groundbreaking investigation reveals how a secret atomic weapons program in WWII Japan led to today’s North Korean security crisis.Japan’s Secret War explores one of the least-known, yet highly significant episodes of World War II: Japan’s frantic race to develop its own atomic bomb. Journalist and historian Robert Wilcox then shows how Japan’s efforts evolved into North Korea’s nuclear program and the looming threat it presents to mankind.After decades of research into national intelligence archives in the US and abroad, Wilcox presents a detailed account of Japan’s version of the Manhattan Project. He traces its development from inception to the possible detonation of a nuclear device in 1945. Wilcox weaves a fascinating portrait of the secret industrial complex where Japan’s atomic research culminated. And it is there that North Korea, following the Japanese defeat, salvaged what remained and fashioned its own nuclear program.“Japan’s Secret War is still spellbinding. It is intriguing and disturbing, and Robert Wilcoxdeserves high praise for his meticulous research.” —Historynet.com
Japan's War: Hirohito’s Holy War Against the West
by Stewart Binns'A superbly revealing account of a dreadful and profoundly sad war' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL'This extraordinary book gives us a unique insight into why and how Japan fought such an appalling war' NICK HEWERA new perspective on Japan during the Asia-Pacific War, using remarkable first-hand Japanese source material.Even after eighty years since the end of a conflict that killed thirty-five million people, there remains deeply-felt bitterness and anger about the way the Asia-Pacific War was fought, especially by the Japanese. The war in the East stretched from Hawaii to India - with Japanese forces attacking Singapore, China and Malaysia, as well as bombing the north coast of Australia. The Allied forces, led by the US, waged an island-by-island counteroffensive that eventually saw the invasion of the Japanese homeland. Japan has been vilified for the countless examples of its cruelty to civilians and prisoners of war. These criticisms have led to a backlash in Japan, where many deny that the accusations are true. By going back to the origins of modern Japan, and by using only Japanese accounts, Japan's War: Hirohito's Holy War against the West offers a powerful account of the conflict and explains in detail why the Japanese conducted the war in the way that they did.
Japan's War: Hirohito’s Holy War Against the West
by Stewart Binns'A superbly revealing account of a dreadful and profoundly sad war' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL'This extraordinary book gives us a unique insight into why and how Japan fought such an appalling war' NICK HEWERA new perspective on Japan during the Asia-Pacific War, using remarkable first-hand Japanese source material.Even after eighty years since the end of a conflict that killed thirty-five million people, there remains deeply-felt bitterness and anger about the way the Asia-Pacific War was fought, especially by the Japanese. The war in the East stretched from Hawaii to India - with Japanese forces attacking Singapore, China and Malaysia, as well as bombing the north coast of Australia. The Allied forces, led by the US, waged an island-by-island counteroffensive that eventually saw the invasion of the Japanese homeland. Japan has been vilified for the countless examples of its cruelty to civilians and prisoners of war. These criticisms have led to a backlash in Japan, where many deny that the accusations are true. By going back to the origins of modern Japan, and by using only Japanese accounts, Japan's War: Hirohito's Holy War against the West offers a powerful account of the conflict and explains in detail why the Japanese conducted the war in the way that they did.
Japanese American Incarceration: The Camps and Coerced Labor during World War II (Politics and Culture in Modern America)
by Stephanie D. HinnershitzBetween 1942 and 1945, the U.S. government wrongfully imprisoned thousands of Japanese American citizens and profited from their labor. Japanese American Incarceration recasts the forced removal and incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II as a history of prison labor and exploitation.Following Franklin Roosevelt's 1942 Executive Order 9066, which called for the exclusion of potentially dangerous groups from military zones along the West Coast, the federal government placed Japanese Americans in makeshift prisons throughout the country. In addition to working on day-to-day operations of the camps, Japanese Americans were coerced into harvesting crops, digging irrigation ditches, paving roads, and building barracks for little to no compensation and often at the behest of privately run businesses—all in the name of national security.How did the U.S. government use incarceration to address labor demands during World War II, and how did imprisoned Japanese Americans respond to the stripping of not only their civil rights, but their labor rights as well? Using a variety of archives and collected oral histories, Japanese American Incarceration uncovers the startling answers to these questions. Stephanie D. Hinnershitz's timely study connects the government's exploitation of imprisoned Japanese Americans to the history of prison labor in the United States.
Japanese American Internment: Prisoners in Their Own Land (Tangled History)
by Steven OtfinoskiVivid storytelling brings World War II history to life and place readers in the shoes of the people who experienced the United States' Japanese internment camps. On the heels of Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Through this order, more than 110,000 people of Japanese descent, many of them U.S. citizens, were forced to relocate to military camps for the duration of the war. Suspenseful, dramatic events unfold in chronological, interwoven stories from the different perspectives of people who experienced these events while they were happening. Narratives intertwine to create a breathless, "What's Next?" kind of read. Students gain a new perspective on historical figures as they learn about real people struggling to decide how best to act in a given moment.
Japanese Americans and World War II: Mass Removal, Imprisonment, and Redress
by Donald Teruo Hata Nadine Ishitani HataLike its predecessors, this fourth edition of "Japanese Americans and World War II" is intended as a succinct and affordable supplement to history and political science texts that minimize or neglect the "Nikkei" (Japanese American) experience in World War II. As was hoped, the first two editions of this publication found an enthusiastic reception by instructors and students alike at the high school, community college, and university level. In addition, the expanded third edition found a new readership beyond the classroom, in members of and visitors to museums, such as the Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles, and interpretive centers at former concentration camp sites administered by the National Park Service at Manzanar, Tule Lake, and others (some in progress). In response to the supportive and constructive feedback of students, instructors, and lay readers, we at Harlan Davidson undertook a bold and sweeping redesign of the third edition that saw our well-loved little "pamphlet" become an attractive but still highly affordable book that, in addition to taking the narrative completely up to date, has been thoroughly re-edited and expanded further to include photographs, key documents, and an enhanced multidisciplinary bibliography of 200 core publications by historians, political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, and others, as well as multimedia and Internet-based sources. Inaccurate and misleading euphemisms such as "evacuation" and "internment" have been meticulously replaced with more accurate terms like "mass removal" and "imprisonment--changes explained and amplified in a new "Note on Terminology," which explains the movement to correct long out-dated language and refers readers to thoughtful essays on the subject by eminent scholars.
Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937 - 45
by Henry SakaidaLittle has been published in English on the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF), let alone its most successful fighter pilots - no less than 150 of them achieved ace status during eight years of near-constant war, and they are all listed in this volume. From the arid plains of the Mongolian border region to the lush jungles of New Guinea, the JAAF was more than a match for the many opponents it fought against for control of the skies. Indeed, even when the mighty Allied war machine proved almost overwhelming from early 1944 onwards, the elite fighter pilots of the various sentais within the JAAF fought on with near-fanatical loyalty in defence of the Home Islands.
Japanese Army Air Force Units and Their Aces, 1931–1945: 1931-1945
by Christopher Shores Yasuho Izawa Ikuhiko HataAn extensive guide to Japan&’s Army Air Force Units and their ace pilots during conflicts in the 1930s and &‘40s, now in English. Commencing with a detailed study of the development, equipment, and operations flown by this force since its inception immediately after the end of World War I, until the catastrophic conclusion of World War II, the initial section deals with the wars in China and Manchuria, as well as the Pacific War of 1941-1945. The second section explores the history of each unit, listing the types of aircraft used, the bases from which they flew, and the unit and formation commanders. Notable mission details are also included. Finally, the third section offers biographical notes for notable fighter pilots and features supporting listings and a glossary of Japanese terms. Photographs of pilots and aircraft are also included, along with line drawings indicating the unit markings carried. This revised edition is a companion volume to Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1932–1945.
Japanese Army Handbook 1939-1945: 1939-1945
by George FortyThis is an insight into the most feared army of World War II. The Japanese Imperial Army grew from 1.5 million men in 1939 to 5.5 million men by the end of the war. Their highly successful campaigns in the Far East and the Pacific at the beginning of World War II were every bit as spectacular as those of the Germans in Europe, and they earned an enviable reputation as expert jungle fighters which it took some years for the Allies to match. Their code of honour also made them extremely cruel enemies to prisoners and civilians alike, while their Kamikaze suicidal tendencies meant they would automatically fight to the last without any thought of surrender. Fully illustrated with rare archive photographs, this is a comprehensive study of the army. The author describes how they mobilized and trained their soldiers, and looks at their organizational structures, from high command down to divisional level and below. Also included are uniforms, equipment, all kinds of weapons ranging from tanks and artillery, technical equipment, tactics, symbology and vehicle markings.
Japanese Army in World War II
by Gordon RottmanThe Japanese conquest of the Pacific comprised of a complex series of widely scattered operations; their intent was to neutralize American, Commonwealth, and Dutch forces, seize regions rich in economic resources, and secure an outer defense line for their empire. Although their conquest was successful, the forces deployed from Japan and China were not always ideally trained, equipped and armed. The South Seas and tropics proved challenging to these soldiers who were used to milder climates, and they were a less lethal enemy on the Chinese mainland. This book examines the overall structure of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), the forces in existence at the beginning of World War II and the organization of the forces committed to the conquest of the Pacific.
Japanese Battleships, 1897-1945: A Photographic Archive
by R.A. BurtRare images of the Imperial Japanese Navy&’s fleet before it was almost completely destroyed in World War II. This photographic archive contains some 125 stunning images of the battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, many unfamiliar, some very rare. They constitute an archive that is pretty much without equal in publications in the West. The period covered is from the launch of Japan's first real contemporary battleship, Yashima, built by Armstrong&’s on the Tyne, up to the final destruction of her fleet in the Pacific in 1945. During that time Japan built up the third largest navy in the world and, before the First World War, it was Britain that armed her at sea. All her dreadnoughts saw action in the Second World War, and of all these numerous ships only Nagato survived the conflict. She was to become a target in the Bikini A-bomb tests in 1946. Just as the ships were lost, so were the majority of photographic records, and relatively few images have come down to us. This selection from R.A. Burt's archive represents therefore a remarkable portrayal of these ships. Extended captions and ship specifications enhance its reference value, making it an essential volume for enthusiasts, modelers, and anyone with an interest in the Second World War.
Japanese Battleships: Fuso & Ise Classes (ShipCraft #24)
by Robert BrownThis fully illustrated guide offers historical context and step-by-step instruction for building and modifying Japanese battleship models. This volume in the ShipCraft series covers the two related classes of Japanese 14in-gunned battleships, originally built during the First World War but subsequently reconstructed. These ships are famous for their towering forward superstructure, usually described as a pagoda bridge, that they featured when rebuilt. The Ise-class ships underwent further reconstruction during the Second World War to emerge as a unique hybrid of battleship and aircraft carrier to compensate for fleet carriers sunk earlier in the war. This lavishly illustrated guide takes readers through a brief history of the Fuso-class and Ise-class ships, highlighting differences between sisterships and changes in their appearance over their careers. It features color profiles of paint schemes as well as detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This volume also includes a photographic survey of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales and a section on further research references
Japanese Castles 1540-1640
by Peter Dennis Stephen TurnbullThe landscape of 16th- and 17th-century Japan was dominated by the graceful and imposing castles constructed by the powerful 'daimyo' of the period. In this the most turbulent era in Japanese history, these militarily sophisticated structures provided strongholds for the consolidation and control of territory, and inevitably they became the focus for many of the great sieges of Japanese history: Nagashino (1575), Kitanosho (1583), Odawara (1590), Fushimi (1600), Osaka (1615) and Hara (1638), the last of the battles that brought an end to a period of intense civil war. This title traces their development from the earliest timber stockades to the immense structures that dominated the great centres of Osaka and Edo.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Japanese Castles AD 250-1540
by Stephen TurnbullDr Stephen Turnbull is internationally recognised for his research into and writing on Japanese military history. Here he applies his scholarship to an account of the evolution of Japanese defensive architecture and engineering, from early earthworks through to wooden and earth castles and, finally, the emergence of the stone towers that are so characteristic of the samurai. He also plots the adaptation of Japanese castles to accommodate the introduction of firearms. With unpublished photographs from the author's private collection and full-colour artwork, including detailed cutaways, this is an essential guide to the fascinating development of Japanese castles.
Japanese Castles in Korea 1592-98
by Stephan TurnbullThe Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1592 to 1598, was the only occasion in Japanese history when samurai aggression was turned against a foreign country. During the occupation of Korea the Japanese built 25 wajo or castles. Unlike the castles built in Japan, these castles were never developed or modernized after the Japanese departure meaning that the details of late 16th century castle construction are better preserved than at many other sites. Written by Stephen Turnbull, an expert on the subject, this book examines the castles built by the Japanese in Korea, as well as the use the samurai made of existing Korean fortifications, particularly city walls. This resulted in curious hybrid fortifications which dominated the landscape until the Japanese were pushed out of the peninsula by a furious onslaught from the huge Chinese armies.
Japanese Destroyer Captain
by Roger Pineau Fred Saito Tameichi HaraThis highly regarded war memoir was a best seller in both Japan and the United States during the 1960s and has long been treasured by historians for its insights into the Japanese side of the surface war in the Pacific. The author was a survivor of more than one hundred sorties against the Allies and was known throughout Japan as the Unsinkable Captain. A hero to his countrymen, Capt. Hara exemplified the best in Japanese surface commanders: highly skilled, hard driving, and aggressive. Moreover, he maintained a code of honor worthy of his samurai grandfather, and, as readers of this book have come to appreciate, he was as free with praise for American courage and resourcefulness as he was critical of himself and his senior commanders.
Japanese Eyes American Heart: Personal Reflections of Hawaii's World War II Nisei Soldiers
by Hawaii Nikkei History Editorial Board Tendai Education Foundation StaffJapan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, set Hawaii on a new course of history that would affect every living soul in these Islands. How Hawaii's people, particularly those of Japanese ancestry, responded to the act of aggression by Japan changed Hawaii's social, economic, and political history forever. Much has been written about how Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion answered their country's call through military service--and the high price they paid in human lives in freedom's cause. The history has been recorded, the battles documented, the medals tallied, the social and political legacy articulated and applauded. Not as thoroughly recorded, however, are the thoughts and innermost feelings of the nisei soldiers who put their lives on the line for their country, and what those experiences meant to them. Those stories have always been the most difficult to pry from the hearts and souls of the AJA men who served our country in World War II. It was that void in the story of Hawaii's nisei soldiers that Bishop Ryokan Ara of the Tendai Educational Foundation asked members of the Hawaii Nikkei History Editorial Board to fill. Japanese Eyes... American Heart is the result of that effort. It is a rare and powerful collection of personal thoughts written by the soldiers themselves, reflections of the men's thoughts as recorded in diaries and letters sent home to family members and friends, and other expressions about an episode that marked a turning point in the lives of many.
Japanese Fortified Temples and Monasteries AD 710-1062
by Stephen TurnbullFrom the 10th century onwards the great Japanese monastic foundations of Nara and Mount Hiei maintained large armies of warlike monks. The tempestuous political rivalries that developed between the different orders of monks and religiously inspired laymen ensured that their temples and monasteries had to be securely sited and robustly defended. This books recreates these enormous fortified monasteries and temples, tracing their development from the 10th century through to the Sengoku Jidai period and the rise of the power of the shogunate under Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Japanese Heavy Cruisers: Myoko and Takao Classes (ShipCraft #Vol. 5)
by Steve BackerThe ShipCraft series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sister-ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly-detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.rnrnThis volume is devoted to the largest cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Built in defiance of treaty restrictions, they were the fastest and most powerful heavy cruisers of their day, and were heavily engaged in every campaign from Pearl Harbor to the end of the Pacific War.
Japanese Infantryman 1937-45
by Gordon Rottman Michael WelplyThis book examines in detail the Japanese Infantryman who was, despite comparisons with the notorious German Waffen SS of World War II (1939-1945), an enigma to Westerners. Brutal in its treatment of prisoners as well as the inhabitants of the areas that it conquered, the Imperial Japanese Army also had exacting standards for its own men - strict codes of honor compelled Japanese soldiers to fight to the death against the more technologically advanced Allies. Identifying the ways in which the Japanese soldier differed from his Western counterpart, the author explores concepts such as Bushido, Seppuku, Shiki and Hakko Ichi-u in order to understand what motivated Japanese warriors.
Japanese Inn: A Reconstruction Of The Past
by Oliver StatlerThe beguiling story of the Minaguchi-ya, an ancient inn on the Tokaido Road, founded on the eve of the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. Travellers and guests flow into and past the inn -- warriors on the march, lovers fleeing to a new life, pilgrims on their merry expeditions, great men going to and from the capital. The story of the Minaguchi-ya is a social history of Japan through 400 years, a ringside seat to some of the most stirring events of a stirring period.'Statler has created a strangely beautiful book that succeeds in conveying intact not only a great deal of its history but the mood of that land. The result is sheer delight. Japanese Inn is the work of a master craftsman; it is so well conceived that the narrative moves from past to present in the same paragraph without the slightest confusion to the reader; it is so well written that only in retrospect is one aware of its remarkable flawless style. Through the author's particular magic, the stories unfold as one narrative, as beautifully and memorably as the unrolling of a long Japanese scroll.'--CURT GENTRY'The reader learns much of Japan's past -- and, as is inevitable in a study of that country, of present-day Japanese as well. Mr Statler's prose succeeds in evoking the pageantry of the past in the brilliant color of the kabuki stage. Nothing seems to have been overlooked by the author. Mr Statler's book is Japanese history made easy, and grand entertainment.'-- NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'Much of it is told in fictional form. Some of the episodes have come out of family annals and memories, some from the records of the temple; some are imagined; but all could have happened ... Mr Statler has told the story vividly and with sympathy. It moves. It has the authentic feel of Japan.'--INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
Japanese Military Strategy in the Pacific War: Was Defeat Inevitable?
by James B WoodIn this provocative history, James B. Wood challenges the received wisdom that Japan's defeat in the Pacific was historically inevitable. He argues instead that it was only when the Japanese military prematurely abandoned its original sound strategic plan—to secure the resources Japan needed and establish a viable defensible perimeter for the Empire—that the Allies were able to regain the initiative and lock Japanese forces into a war of attrition they were not prepared to fight. The book persuasively shows how the Japanese army and navy had both the opportunity and the capability to have fought a different and more successful war in the Pacific that could have influenced the course and outcome of World War II. It is therefore a study both of Japanese defeat and of what was needed to achieve a potential Japanese victory, or at the very least, to avoid total ruin. Wood's argument does not depend on signal individual historical events or dramatic accidents. Instead it examines how familiar events could have b
Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1932–1945
by Christopher Shores Yasuho Izawa Ikuhiko HataAn extensive guide to Japan&’s Naval Air Force Fighter Units and their ace pilots during conflicts in the 1930s and &‘40s, now in English. The book begins by looking at the land- and aircraft carrier-based navy fighter units and their operations from 1932 to 1945, as well as their history and achievements. This is followed with biographical details for all pilots who claimed eight or more aerial victories. The thorough appendix provides detailed listings of all pilots known to have claimed five or more victories (and thus considered to be &“aces&”), listings of the graduation from training of all Japanese Navy fighter pilots, and of fighter pilot casualties. Photographs, maps, and artist&’s side-view drawings and paintings of aircraft relevant to each of the units are also included. This revised edition is a companion volume to Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1931–1945.
Japanese Naval Aviation Uniforms and Equipment 1937#45
by Gary Nila Bill YounghusbandThis long awaited title provides a fantastic reference resource on the uniforms, dress, flight gear and personal weaponry of the Imperial Japanese Navy airmen of World War II (1939-1945). It includes detailed descriptions of flight gear, including manufacture information, and interviews with IJN pilots such as Sakai, Komachi, Tanimizu, Kawato and Saito regarding the use of a variety of equipment are integrated into the text. Packed with great contemporary illustrations, photographs of original items, and colour pictures, this title provides a meticulously detailed examination of the dress and equipment of the Imperial Japanese Navy's aviators in World War II.