Hirohito and War: Imperial Tradition and Military Decision Making in Pre-War Japan [Hardcover]

Peter Wetzler (Author), Wetzler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 082481925X | ISBN-13: 978-0824819255 | Publication Date: February 1998

The debate over Emperor Hirohito's accountability for government decisions and military operations up to the end of World War II began before the end of the war and has continued even after his death in 1989. Hirohito and War documents this controversy while providing insights into the Showa emperor's role in military planning in imperial Japan. It argues that Hirohito both knew of and participated in such planning and offers evidence that he was informed well in advance of imperial army and navy decisions, including the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Using Japanese primary sources, many overlooked by Japanese and Western historians, it shows that Hirohito's participation in the decision-making process was entirely consistent with his intellectual background and his passionate belief in the significance of the imperial tradition for the Japanese polity (kokutai) in prewar Japan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082481925X
• ISBN-13: 978-0824819255
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How much does Emperor Hirohito responsible?, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hirohito and War: Imperial Tradition and Military Decision Making in Pre-War Japan (Hardcover)

Whether or not Emperor Hirohito is the actual top leader of wartime Japan and thus a war criminal is an old -- past -- question in Japan. But from the Western perspective, he was the one -- and no one else -- to decide which way the Imperial Japan should go. This book makes us to rethink of these critical wartime days and helps us to reach a more balanced conclusion from no one's perspective. You must read it.