Yoshida Shigeru
Yoshida Shigeru

Author: Yoshida Shigeru

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2007-02-16

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 1461647444

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The most complete autobiography of Yoshida Shigeru available in English, this expanded translation of his memoirs traces the remarkable life and times of one of Japan's most powerful and influential figures. Yoshida (1878–1967), who served in China and Europe as a career diplomat, closely linked with the key political leaders who shaped the world in Japan's most tumultuous years in the first half of the twentieth century. He returned to politics to rebuild Japan as a five-time prime minister after the devastation of World War II. Yoshida retired from the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1939 with the intention of leading a quiet life. Yet he knew the winds of war were stirring and presciently began behind-the-scenes maneuvering to avoid the calamitous Pacific War. Soon after Japan's defeat, Yoshida amassed the political power to form his own cabinet. Sandwiched between Japan's interests and major reforms advanced by MacArthur's occupation forces, Yoshida boldly pushed through many essential reforms, laying the foundation for his country's reentry into the global community. Richly laced with historical detail, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in twentieth-century Japan. Exploring Yoshida's and Japan's linked histories, the book traces Yoshida's lengthy tenure in China, his travel abroad as a member of Japan's mission to conclude World War I, the interwar years spent as a high-ranking diplomat in Europe, his role in the days leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, his view on the loss of war, his insights into MacArthur's character, Japan's postwar economic woes, the new constitution, the threat of communism, the imperial system, and the San Francisco Peace Conference in 1958 that guaranteed Japan's sovereignty.

Empire and Aftermath
Empire and Aftermath

Author: J.W. Dower

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-03-31

Total Pages: 648

ISBN-13: 1684172152

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This is a detailed biography of Japan's Postwar prime minister. John Dower is one of the preminent historians of modern Japan.

Winners in Peace
Winners in Peace

Author: Richard B. Finn

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 9780520069091

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Singular for its breadth and balance, Winners in Peace chronicles the American Occupation of Japan, an episode that profoundly shaped the postwar world. Richard B. Finn, who participated in the Occupation as a young naval officer and diplomat, tells the full story of the activities from 1945 to 1952. He focuses on the two main actors, General Douglas MacArthur and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, and details the era's major events, programs, and personalities, both American and Japanese. Finn draws on an impressive range of sources--American, Japanese, British, and Australian--including interviews with nearly one hundred participants in the Occupation. He describes the war crimes trials, constitutional reforms, and American efforts to rebuild Japan. The work of George Kennan in making political stability and economic recovery the top goals of the United States became critical in the face of the developing Cold War. Winners in Peace will aid our understanding of Japan today--its economic growth, its style of government, and the strong pacifist spirit of its people. Singular for its breadth and balance, Winners in Peace chronicles the American Occupation of Japan, an episode that profoundly shaped the postwar world. Richard B. Finn, who participated in the Occupation as a young naval officer and diplomat, tells the full story of the activities from 1945 to 1952. He focuses on the two main actors, General Douglas MacArthur and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, and details the era's major events, programs, and personalities, both American and Japanese. Finn draws on an impressive range of sources--American, Japanese, British, and Australian--including interviews with nearly one hundred participants in the Occupation. He describes the war crimes trials, constitutional reforms, and American efforts to rebuild Japan. The work of George Kennan in making political stability and economic recovery the top goals of the United States became critical in the face of the developing Cold War. Winners in Peace will aid our understanding of Japan today--its economic growth, its style of government, and the strong pacifist spirit of its people.

Japan’s Security Renaissance
Japan’s Security Renaissance

Author: Andrew L. Oros

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2017-03-07

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0231542593

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For decades after World War II, Japan chose to focus on soft power and economic diplomacy alongside a close alliance with the United States, eschewing a potential leadership role in regional and global security. Since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the rise of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's military capabilities have resurged. In this analysis of Japan's changing military policy, Andrew L. Oros shows how a gradual awakening to new security challenges has culminated in the multifaceted "security renaissance" of the past decade. Despite openness to new approaches, however, three historical legacies—contested memories of the Pacific War and Imperial Japan, postwar anti-militarist convictions, and an unequal relationship with the United States—play an outsized role. In Japan's Security Renaissance Oros argues that Japan's future security policies will continue to be shaped by these legacies, which Japanese leaders have struggled to address. He argues that claims of rising nationalism in Japan are overstated, but there has been a discernable shift favoring the conservative Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party. Bringing together Japanese domestic politics with the broader geopolitical landscape of East Asia and the world, Japan's Security Renaissance provides guidance on this century's emerging international dynamics.

Japan’s Evolving Foreign Policy Doctrine
Japan’s Evolving Foreign Policy Doctrine

Author: Bert Edström

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-07-27

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1349273031

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During half a century after the war Japan's economy was built up from scratch to the world's number two, while its foreign policy has been described by many as passive and even verging on being non-existent. As a contrast, this study evinces how the foundations of Japan's foreign policy were laid in the early postwar period, and how postwar policies have been characterized by pervasive continuity, guided by distinct national goals and expressed in clear-cut national role conceptions.

Japanese Prime Ministers and Their Peace Philosophy
Japanese Prime Ministers and Their Peace Philosophy

Author: Daisuke Akimoto

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-02-07

Total Pages: 441

ISBN-13: 9811683794

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This book focuses on the lives and peace philosophy of Japanese prime ministers from 1945 to the present, attempting to extract one consistent political philosophy, namely, the ‘peace philosophy’ that has consistently influenced Japan’s foreign and defense policy. Exploring the meta-narrative of international relations and politics, this book provides a new meta-analysis of the factors underpinning Japanese politics, providing a timely insight into one of Asia's most powerful yet enigmatic players in a time of transformation. This book will interest scholars of international relations, those watching Asia in transition, and journalists.

The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance
The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance

Author: T. Inoguchi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2011-09-12

Total Pages: 608

ISBN-13: 0230120156

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In this book, American and Japanese experts examine to what extent diverging priorities in the U.S.-Japan alliance are real and whether they are not remedied with political and diplomatic leadership and other processes. American and Japanese authors are paired to analyze the same topic, where doing so is possible, for comparing their perspectives.

Embracing Defeat
Embracing Defeat

Author: John W Dower

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2000-07-04

Total Pages: 692

ISBN-13: 9780393320275

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This study of modern Japan traces the impact of defeat and reconstruction on every aspect of Japan's national life. It examines the economic resurgence as well as how the nation as a whole reacted to defeat and the end of a suicidal nationalism.

The Diplomatic History of Postwar Japan
The Diplomatic History of Postwar Japan

Author: Makoto Iokibe

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1135267340

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Winner of the prestigious Yoshida Shigeru Prize 1999 for the best book in public history when it was published in its original Japanese, this book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Japan’s international relations from the end of the Pacific War to the present. Written by leading Japanese authorities on the subject, it makes extensive use of the most recently declassified Japanese documents, memoirs, and diaries. It introduces the personalities and approaches Japan’s postwar leaders and statesmen took in dealing with a rapidly changing world and the challenges they faced. Importantly, the book also discusses the evolution of Japan’s presence on the international stage and the important – if underappreciated role – Japan has played. The book examines the many issues which Japan has had to confront in this important period: from the occupation authorities in the latter half 1940s, to the crisis-filled 1970s; from the post-Cold War decade to the contemporary war on terrorism. The book examines the effect of the changing international climate and domestic scene on Japan’s foreign policy; and the way its foreign policy has been conducted. It discusses how the aims of Japan’s foreign relations, and how its relationships with its neighbours, allies and other major world powers have developed, and assesses how far Japan has succeeded in realising its aims. It concludes by discussing the current state of Japanese foreign policy and likely future developments.