The best fiction and nonfiction on the war between the allied forces and japan in the pacific theatre. What do they teach about ww2 in japanese history curriculum. While many books have been written about the two japanese american. Japanese nationalists dressed in world war ii military uniforms march into yasukuni shrine in tokyo on aug. Though much research has been done on the language of history textbooks, none thus far have. Unlike germany and italy, japan did not have a dictator, but an oligarchic and militaristic system ruling the country. In december 1941 japan, already at war with china, attacked british, dutch and american territories in asia and the pacific. Americas postwar desire to help build a strong japan as a. Aug 15, 2014 the story of world war ii according to japans controversial war museum. Japan is trying to rewrite its horrific world war ii history. Japan publicly announced its surrender on 15 august 1945. A battle history of the imperial japanese navy, 19411945. And because of those experiences, i feel it is my responsibility to tell america, through my books, that people of asian descent have been a part of america for a long time. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover.
But history can be entirely different depending on the perspective of the author. A quick guide to japans role in the second world war ian kikuchi. Japan is trying to rewrite its horrific world war ii. Touchstone to victory ballantines illustrated history of world war ii. A classic history of japan, covering the period from the fall of the kamakura shogunate in the 30s to the battle of sekigahara of 1615. How japan teaches its own history the new york times. Each book focused on a different topic, such as the resistance, spies, the home front but mainly the battles and campaigns of the conflict.
World war i and world war ii books history and reference. A quick guide to japans role in the second world war. Can anyone recommend any good books by japanese authors that talk about the experience of japanese soldiers in the war or discuss about the wars effect on the japanese population. The best study of chinas war with japan written in any language. List of books and articles about japan, world war ii. After the nazi attack on russia in 1941, the japanese were torn between german urgings to join the war against the soviets and their natural inclination to seek richer prizes from the european colonial territories to the south. This is a very worthwhile book for a wide audience and it holds a wealth of new materials. Jul 20, 2017 the transcribed name of the official japanese history of the second world war is senshi sosho. The pacific theater in world war ii has always intrigued me, perhaps because my grandfather served there, but i never heard any stories from him, as he rarely talked about it. Japanese history textbook controversies involve controversial content in one of the governmentapproved history textbooks used in the secondary education junior high schools and high schools of japan. Dec 06, 2017 a captured japanese diary from the pacific theater summer 20, vol. The story of world war ii according to japans controversial.
In his classic, the second world war 19892005, military historian john keegan observed that the second world war was the largest single event in human history, fought across six of the worlds seven continents and all its oceans. The japanese dispatched a naval invasion force in an attempt to capture shanghai. It is characterized by a long period of clan warfare until the 12th century ce. It killed 50 million human beings, left hundreds of millions of others wounded in mind or body, and. In japan, the fight over war memory has new implications. As the nation marks the 72nd anniversary of its surrender at the end of world war ii, there are still many here who insist that japan acted. Black, a distinguished military historian, bucks the current trend to demilitarise and gives due weight to the campaigns and battles that made up the war.
Nobukatsu fujioka is one of them and the author of one of the books that i. Im a world war ii history buff, having written 10 books on the subject. The russojapanese war was a success for the japanese, because their early surprise attack and later followup general naval battle caused russia to sue for peace, largely because of internal russian problems. On the 69th anniversary of japan s surrender in world war ii. A crash course in wartime japanese terminology for foreign. Japaneseamerican incarceration during world war ii. Providing a crucial counterweight to previous histories, jeremy blacks world war two offers fresh insights into operations at the eastern front and during the war against japan. List of books and articles about japan, world war ii period. Nov 01, 2015 but history can be entirely different depending on the perspective of the author.
Ill start by noting that this is one of the best history books i have read. Dec 02, 2008 memorial for japan in world war ii at during the 1930s and through world war ii, the japanese military controlled the government of japan. A captured japanese diary from the pacific theater summer 20, vol. The forgotten holocaust of world war ii iris chang, foreword by william c. Official japanese history of world war 2 axis history forum. Kirby china has endured much hardship in its history, as iris chang shows in her ably researched the rape of nanking, a book that recounts the horrible events in that eastern chinese city under japanese occupation in the late 1930s.
Some of the material is controversial and some is blatantly racist. No other single publication includes such a complete listing of atrocities and, even then, gruhl has missed a few, nor anything near the authors compelling statistical analysis of those appalling war crimes. Mochizuki has written several books about world war ii and being japanese american during the war. The military history of japan chronicles a vast time period over three millennia from the jomon bce into the modern day. Get the best deals on original ww ii japanese books when you shop the largest. Gentlemen, i would like to know if anyone has heard anything about the status of the japanese official history of world war 2 senshi sosho. Its a monumental work, covering virtually all aspects of the war except the japanese war crimes. Dowers brilliant examination of japan in the immediate, shattering aftermath of world war ii. These books provide an excellent entry into discussions about this period of u. Japanese historyworld war ii wikibooks, open books for an open. This day has since been commemorated as victory over japan or vj day. During world war ii 80 volunteer raiders bombed a japanese city in revenge for the attack on pearl harbor.
Japans gigantic second world war gamble the guardian. Instead of expanding trade, the japanese expanded their empire. Japanese history textbook controversies involve controversial content in one of the. The story of world war ii according to japans controversial war museum. A small incident was soon made into a full scale war by the kwantung army which acted rather. Dick meadows, 90, of orange, fought in the battles of saipan, tarawa, tinian and okinawa as a marine in world war ii. World war ii is a series of books published by timelife that chronicles the second world war. The january 28 incident occurred when fighting erupted between chinese boycotters and japanese troops protecting the nations enclave in the port of shanghai.
Can anyone recommend any good books by japanese authors that talk about the experience of japanese soldiers in the war or discuss about the war s effect on the japanese population. Gruhls narrative makes clear why japans world war ii aggression still touches deep. Mar 17, 2002 details of japanese world war ii atrocities are known all over asia. Home japan best books ten good books about japan at war all these books are currently available on in the u. World war ii is actually one of only 3 prohibited subjects at the english school where i teach the other two are sex and drugs. The japanese seized manchuria in 1931, and began a war against china in 1937. I have the list of volumes all 102, but as far as i know, its a lost cause unless someone comes up with a large monetary amount to pay for translations. The book looks at many different topics from this period, but conveys the massive paradigm shift that took place in japan following its defeat in war. This system was introduced to japan after world war ii to avoid government having. Discover librarianselected research resources on japan, world war ii period from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals. The operational strategy the japanese adopted to initiate the war, however, doomed their hopes of limiting the con. Winner of the pulitzer prize, the 1999 national book award for nonfiction, finalist for the lionel gelber prize and the kiriyama pacific rim book prize, embracing defeat is john w. But when the historical event is defeat in war, as japan experienced in world.
Imperial japans world war two is a full and unique statement of japanese war crimes during fourteen years of conflict. While my direct knowledge is mostly about the nagoya area, it applie. This is one of those books that you expect to be something, and it turns out to be something else entirely. The controversies primarily concern the japanese nationalist efforts to whitewash the actions of the empire of japan during world war ii.
The soldier, the singer, and the spymaster who defied the japanese in world war ii by. Living here in tokyo, i feel what a powerful presence the war is but its such a strong taboo topic that its hard to understand how japanese people think about it or experienced it. Marines book translates japanese soldiers wwii diary he. Japanese historyworld war ii wikibooks, open books for. As the nation marks the 72nd anniversary of its surrender at the end of world war ii, there are still many here who. In july 1937, the second sinojapanese war broke out. Cutting through over half a century of historical buildup, this new and convincing account of world war ii uses a global perspective to explain the complicated course in military terms. Living here in tokyo, i feel what a powerful presence the war is but its such a strong taboo topic that its hard to understand how japanese people think. Im looking for a list of books published in english about world war two, written from the japanese perspective. The japanese navy in world war ii and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Japan is trying to rewrite its horrific world war ii history we cant let that happen.
The pacific theater in world war ii has always intrigued me, perhaps because my grandfather served there, but i never heard any stories from him, as he rarely talked about. List of books and articles about japan, world war ii period online. The epic world war ii story of the japanese american gis who. The outlawing of the korean language became education in the japanese language. As the 50thanniversary year of world war ii draws to a close, a recap of japanese literature shows that writers have rushed to fill in the creative gap imposed during the conflict, although. The focus is always operational, but social, cultural and political aspects are also included. Arrogance and racial discrimination towards the japanese had plagued japanese western relations since the forced opening of the country in the 1800s, and were again a major factor for the deterioration of relations in the decades preceeding world war 2. Among the several books about the japanese american internment published in the past year e. War japanese soldiers finally tell their story hell in. But less attention was paid to reaction within japan, where polls throughout the years suggest that most japanese view world war ii and its runup as a dark point in the nations history, an. Zero fighter covers the history for the famed plane from its design and early dominance. I last lived in japan twenty years ago, but when i was there i studied the educational curriculum, read their high school history books and spoke to as many veterans as possible. From rabaul the perimeter would extend westward to northwestern new guinea to encompass the indies, malaya, thailand, and burma. The european war presented the japanese with tempting opportunities.
Taisho and early showa period 1912 1945 during the era of the weak emperor taisho. It was april 18, 1942, and, under the command of lieutenant colonel jimmy doolittle, the men successfully pulled off that oneway attack. In an effort to discourage japanese militarism, western powers including australia, the united states, britain, and the dutch government in exile, which controlled the petroleumrich netherlands east indies, stopped selling iron ore, steel and oil to japan, denying it the raw materials needed to continue its aggressive activities in china and french indochina. The most recent of the controversial textbooks, the new history textbook. On 2 september, a formal surrender ceremony took place on board the uss missouri in tokyo bay, officially bringing the second world war to an end. A quick guide to japans role in the second world war home. Its understandable that the japanese drew conclusions that were wrong, based on their experience with the russian war. The controversies primarily concern the japanese nationalist efforts to whitewash the actions of the empire of japan during world war ii another serious issue is the constitutionality of the. Official history of japan in the second world war the. Memorial for japan in world war ii at during the 1930s and through world war ii, the japanese military controlled the government of japan. Discover librarianselected research resources on japan, world war ii period from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. In doing so he challenges common interpretations and. World war ii pacific theatre the best fiction and nonfiction on the war between the allied forces and japan in the pacific theatre. World war 2 ww ll japanese troop memorial history book.
The authors have collected a series of oral histories from japanese participants in the second world war who fought in burma, and this book is an edited collection of these histories. Mar 22, 2015 japan is trying to rewrite its horrific world war ii history we cant let that happen. On the 69th anniversary of japans surrender in world war ii today, dozens of japanese. Japan lacked many of the natural resources needed to feed its industries. Dower, is an excellent history of postwar japan from 1946 to the end of the us occupation in 1952, and slightly onward. This week i read an artist of the floating world by kazuo ishiguro and realized that although ive read a lot of books about atrocities committed by japanese soldiers, id never read anything about the wars affects on japanese civilians. A little dated now, but it still provides an excellent narrative history of this period, with more detail on the military events than in most more modern works.
The transcribed name of the official japanese history of the second world war is senshi sosho. In japan, the education ministry validates all textbooks for use in. Japanese history book showing footnote about rape of nanking. This was followed by feudal wars that culminated in military governments known as the shogunate. The senshi sosho totals 102 volumes that consist of 34 volumes on the imperial general headquarters, 37 volumes on the army, 21 volumes on the navy. About 35 years after japan was defeated in world war ii and lost its. See more ideas about world war, war and world war two. Home browse history asian history japanese history japan, world war ii period. Asia japan s nationalist school books teach a different view of history.
After the battle of saipan on june 16, 1944, he found a japanese soldiers diary. Wwii from the japanese perspective book talk librarything. Japanese historyworld war ii wikibooks, open books for an. The history textbooks used in japanese schools have come under. Aug 19, 2015 world war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. World war ii in a japanese and american history textbook. Except, that is, in the place it matters most japan itself. Wwii historic fiction, world war two firsthand accounts nonfiction, best childrens books about world war ii 19391945, world war 2 bo.
666 215 71 458 819 549 777 287 1433 791 829 78 1218 327 989 50 13 676 1112 1285 474 486 1135 955 269 1529 74 612 673 1333 1047 71 290 1267 19 373