Customer Reviews

The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936-1945

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For anyone truly interested in finding and reading one of the first definitive histories of Imperial Japan, this is the book. This work is at once carefully documented and scholarly yet is also eminently readable and entertaining. Although there is no single volume that adequately explains the mysterious story of how Japan rose to threaten the eastern half of the globe, author John Toland delivers a most informative and exhaustively researched manuscript that does help us to understand the essential elements stirred in the witches brew that poisoned most of Asia from 1933 until 1945. It has the unique and helpul tact of being written from the Japanese perspective, something Toland was able to accomplish with the help of his Japanese wife and collaborator. As with all his works, Toland spent several years researching this book with intensive interviews by surviving principals, and had access to a wide range of archival data and previously unpublished data and facts. The result is this magisterial work.

As mentioned above, this is a book that concentrates heavily on interviews with a literal torrent of people who had significant contact and knowledge of the circumstance and conditions that fostered and expedited the rise of the militant and imperialistic military class within Japanese society, and of the ways their rise and interests coalesced and matched the long-term desires of the Japanese power elite, who mistakenly believed they could manipulate and control the military in their actions. Like the German aristocracy that climbed into bed with Hitler thinking they could do the same, they made the fatal error of underestimating the Machiavellian aims and purposes of the Japanese military. Toland faithfully traces the rise and growth of this military cult as it falls prey to a variety of venomous and unfortunate ideas and prejudices that marks it and Japan for an inevitable rendezvous with destiny.

Toland makes a painful effort to be non-judgmental, and carefully presents all the facts as he can best determine them. This sometimes makes him err on the side of presenting personal and perhaps subjective opinions of others as fact, and this is typical of the Toland approach. While recognizing the dangers in presenting a lot of information into the record that might be inaccurate, twisted, or fanciful, he also wants us to hear the whole story from all of the participant's viewpoints so we can make our own informed judgment. In this sense Toland has a somewhat archaic belief in the historical reader's critical skills and to be well-enough formed as thinkers that he lets us judge for ourselves based on our interpretation of the `facts' he presents rather than pre-digesting and coming to his own conclusions for us.

The busman's tour he takes through pre-war Japan, observing and describing the collection of rag-tag malcontents using the military to facilitate and sanctify their own radical ideas and ambitions is quite interesting, as is his casual and matter-of-fact presentation of what is certainly a horrifying plethora of unbelievably provocative, ruthless and despicable acts on the parts of a number of elements within Japanese society. The horror later visited in Nanking, Singapore, and in the Philippines is all too predictable based on their savage conduct toward each other in years preceding the outbreak of the war. This is also history at its best, unblinking, without comment or sentiment, and in your face. Much of what you will read you can find elsewhere, but nowhere else can you find it presented in the style and grace that Toland brings to the printed page. Simply stated, this is an outstanding piece of historical biography, and is also truly the standard against which all other, more recent works on imperial Japan must be judged. Enjoy!

This is an impressive work that really makes an attempt to analyze the causes of Japan's conflict with the United States during the Second World War, and the events during the war that culminate with Japan's defeat. I have read no other work that goes into comparable depth as regards the complexities of 1940s Japanese politics. This work impressively manages to at least try to explain why the Japanese side decided to go to war with the United States, a country that many of its leaders understood to be more powerful than Japan in almost every measurable category of war-making capability.

Author Toland does manage to inject a certain amount of pro-Japanese bias into the causes of the War. Essentially, Japan wanted for itself more or less what the British had in their own Empire: a group of states that were economically and militarily subservient to Japan. The Japanese "Co-Prosperity Sphere" was plainly modelled on the British and other European colonial empires. Toland spends less time dealing with the fact that the countries that Japan had decided should be part of this new Empire did not wish to be Japanese colonial subjects. Further, he touches upon the fact (but deemphasizes its importance) that this Japanese ambition involved savage mistreatment of civilians that both the American government and US public opinion could not possibly have condoned.

Further, Japanese politics in the 1930s and 1940s was dominated by militarists to a greater extent than any Western power. Even Nazi Germany was a civilian government to which the military was clearly subservient. (Of course its civilian government was more radical and fanatical than the German military, creating a different host of problems.) In Japan, the military faction was not above assassinating or physically intimidating its political rivals, and this resulted in a thorough domination of Japanese politics by the the military. This control of politics by Japanese militarists is the true cause of Japan's aggression against China, and later the US and its allies, and indeed of the Pacific War. Some have criticized this work by Toland for somewhat brushing aside the aggressive and indeed savage actions of Japan against its neighbors and I concur with this criticism. Certainly the US was within its rights, and held the moral high ground, when it refused to supply Japan with oil and other raw materials (the actions which directly precipitated the attack on Peal Harbor) at a time when Japan was actively involved in warring upon other countries (i.e. China) that were friendly to the US. The fact that some of these lands were under European domination (i.e. Southeast Asia) in no way excuses Japan's own aggression against these peoples. Toland's work to some extent attempts to create a moral equivalence by comparing Japan's imperial and territorial aspirations to European empires of the time (the British, Dutch, and French). In fact, to some extent Toland seems to question the refusal of Secretary of State Hull and the Roosevelt Administration to accept, and even aid and abet, Japan's wars against China and Southeast Asia. On the other hand, Toland deserves kudos for at least developing a thorough understanding of the issues as the Japanese politicians perceived them, and this book is a very insightful and very readable analysis of Japanese prewar and wartime politics.

Toland's analysis of Japanese wartime politics and military strategy, and her reluctance to sue for peace, is somewhat more detached than his analysis of Japan's prewar politics. Further, this portion of the book is very well-written to such an extent that I almost could not put it down. The one conclusion that I derived from the book is that Japan was thoroughly under the control of the military and the military did not contemplate either the possibility of defeat or the possiblility that Japan might achieve security and prosperity for her people by means other than conquest. This conclusion is most stark when one reviews Japan's refusal to surrender or sue for peace after the war was plainly lost. In late 1944 and 1945 Japan had no Navy, its Army was cut off by the American Navy, and the US was bombing Japan almost at will, causing unspeakable hardships to the entire Japanese populace. And yet the Japanese military, still firmly in control of the country, still refused to allow its government seek surrender. This section of the book, and this chapter in history, is a study in dysfunctional government. Toland brilliantly analyzes and explains how it took essentially two extraordinary events to bring about Japan's surrender. Firstly, the use by the United States of atomic weapons. Secondly, the unprecedented decision by the Emperor himself to insist upon Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. Toland's analysis of the Emperor's role in the wartime Japanese government is fascinating and insightful. I had never before appreciated the unprecedented nature of Hirohito's intervention into actual decision making, and here Toland is convincing.

While I do not agree with all of Toland's conclusions in this book, that in no way changes the fact that this is a highly impressive work that every student of World War Two would do well to read. Toland's analysis and mastery of detail is impressive, and so is his ability to weave this detail into a readable and coherent work. One surprising shortcoming of this work in my opinion is that it is not footnoted in the usual fashion. This makes it more difficult for other scholars to contest the validity of some of Toland's conclusions. On the other hand, most readers will not notice or care about this.

This is an impressive work that sets the standard for analyzing Japan's role in the Second World War, and her decision to go to war against the United States. Recommended.

I am intrigued to read in several reviews that the book gets off to a "slow start" in dealing with the period before Pearl Harbor. I have a keen interest in military history and sometimes feel this way about books that take too long to get to the action, but I didn't react that way here. Rather, I found the analysis of internal Japanese politics before Pearl Harbor to be the most engrossing part of the book, in part because I knew so little of this important area coming in, but in larger part due to the author's engrossing presentation.

While the island-hopping and other military portions are extremely well done too, nothing distinguishes this work as surely as its insights to the internal functioning of the Japanese Govt. (and the minds of individual Japanese) as first war, and then the end of war, approached. I can see where the criticism of a "pro-Japanese" bias comes from, but I think it is ultimately unjustified. Toland lets his subjects' voices come through, in an informative and compelling way, and so we hear the voices of many of the key Japanese participants (or of those close to them.) Since that's a perspective we aren't normally exposed to in the U.S., I find it extremely useful and (to put it mildly) see no danger of the pro-Japanese perspective overwhelming the American understanding of the war.

This is a monumental piece of work. The author has managed to craft hundreds of sources into one single narrative that reads like an epic novel. The book begins from Japan's involvement into China right up to the Allies' occupation after her surrender.

Since history is mainly dictated by the victors, objective works from the point of view of the defeated countries are often hard to come by. John Toland has managed to do a great job in filling this void, giving us a rare glimpse as to the whens, whys and hows of Japan's decision to get herself into an ultimately disastrous war.

If you are a WWII enthusiast, and have read mainly accounts written by American or British authors, then this book will fill in a lot of the gaps. If anything, it's enlightening to read the other side of the story to any conflict.

Very highly recommended. Find a used copy today!

Toland's history of the rise and fall of Imperial Japan is so good that it is difficult to praise adequately. The story itself is so outlandish, bizarre, and terrifying that it would be unbelievable as fiction, yet it reads better than most novels. Toland is an excellent writer and tells his complex story exceedingly well. He interviewed hundreds of people for this work, an incredible expenditure of time and energy, and his historical sources are well referenced.

Toland hasn't made any major errors in substance, so far as I can see, but his interpretations do have a pro-Japanese bias, in that he wants Japan to get a fair hearing. I think that is a legitimate goal, but those who were Japan's direct victims would have, with good reason, difficulty accepting it. It should be kept in mind that whatever the sins of the Japanese government and military during that era, the Japanese people were punished for them many times over as the war evolved.

The early chapters may seem tedious to some readers, but this is due to the complexity of Japanese politics in the 1930's. Toland describes in these chapters something that needs emphasis, and that is the role of political assassination in pre-war Japanese politics. Japanese politicians of that time lived with the knowledge that fanatical young military officers could at any time undo all their work by an assassination, and that there was no way to prevent it so long as the military was in control. A political culture that condones assassination is unlikely to be one in which reason and common sense prevail. Most of the decision makers in the Japanese government, from Konoye and Tojo on down, knew that Japan would inevitably lose an all-out war with the US. Yet until the very end, they all seemed to feel powerless to follow anything other than a suicidal course of action. And at the end, many leaders, including Konoye and Anami, along with numerous military officers, took their own lives. Tojo was unsuccessful in his suicide attempt, and lived to be hanged. Interestingly, he became quite religious before his death, and expressed remorse for the atrocities inflicted by the Japanese Army.

Toland uses first person narratives very effectively to describe the fanaticism and suicidal bravery of the Japanese soldiers, sailors, and pilots; the sufferings of the American POW's; and of the Japanese civilian population under the incendiary and A-bomb attacks on Japan's cities. The overall effect is horrifying; one wonders that anyone survived.

Toland raises many legitimate questions regarding America's role in the Pacific War, from cultural differences to poor translations to overt racism. He ends the book with some interesting reflections on the continuities of misguided American policies and attitudes that led from our war with Japan to our war in VietNam.

A few firm conclusions can be drawn from the war experiences Toland describes so well:

There is no such thing as a "good" war, or if there is, the war in the Pacific was certainly not one of them.
Human courage and endurance transcend race and culture, as do human cruelty and stupidity.
America and Japan were both changed irrevocably by the Pacific War.
Neither nation came out of the war morally intact.
So far, nuclear weapons have not again been used in anger.

One can only hope that our luck continues to hold.

Thirty years later, John Toland's work is still setting the standard for excellence. This book is no exception. The author is able to make history come alive, portraying events and personalities in a manner that allows the reader to grasp the subjective details that influenced the history of that time. History, it is often forgotten, is made and delivered by men and women whose subjective experience has a lingering impact on culture and society.
His focus on the little details does not impinge on the larger picture. His sources are exhaustive and impeccable. While he has garnered some criticism over his neglect of some events ( such as Nanjing and other Japanese atrocities ) and personalities ( Roosevelt and Cordell Hull, for example), these complaints usually stem from a belief that Mr. Toland was pro-Japanese and out to deconstuct the American actions.
This is sure nonsense. This books compensates for the bulk of standard history, much of which still carries on with attempts to demonize the Japanese and honor the American decisions and actions of that time. The sheer hubris and lack of a REAL central intelligence authority in the United States prior to Pearl Harbor, as well the Americans' complete inability to understand their adverseries are all portrayed in stunning detail.
After 9/11 and events since, this book has become even more poignant. A necessity for any thinking person's library. An outstanding piece of work that has stood its first trial of time.

I must say that after reading this book, I am more confused than ever as to the origins of the war between Japan and the US.
The book starts in 1936, although most knowledgable people know that the march to war really began with the Japanese seizure of Manchuria in 1932. The author continually repeats the refrain that "Americans don't understand the Japanese mentality and culture", and it was this "misunderstanding" that led to the war.
It is true that Toland defines the Japanese term "gekokujo" as being some sort of "insubordination" that led to the Kwantung Army to feel it could move, presumably without orders from Tokyo, into Manchuria. However, Toland does not explain how this could happen. There is little description of the power structure in Japan, we do know that there was some attempt to create parliamentary democracy, but there were also the giant oligarchs who had much power, plus the military hierarchy. Somehow, the military took control in the 1930's, but Toland doesn't really say how. He describes in detail the "2/26" Uprising of young officers in 1936, and how they were willing to kill without compunction, and how fanatical they were, yet we are then told that they OPPOSED expansion into China, and that the repression of this coup attempt would lead to an expanded war in China. I must say I don't understand this at all...Toland potrays them as militaristic fanatics, yet they seem to be "the good guys". Weren't those who supported expansion into China also militaristic fanatics? This is left totally unexplained.
Toland then goes on to describe the fatal "Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge" in 1937 near Peking (Beijing) which led to the full-scale invasion of China. Toland says the government in Tokyo, again, had nothing to do with it, in fact both the Chinese and Japanese commanders on the spot tried to calm things down, but some undefined "hotheads" (possibly Chinese Communists) kept inflaming the situation. Somehow (without Toland telling us how), a decision is made by someone (not necessarily the "peace-loving" Japanese Prime Minister Prince Konoye) to mount a full-scale invasion of China. An impression is left by Toland that the Chinese, particulary, the Koumintang government of Chiang Kai-shek was provocative and unreasonable. All I know is that
that Marco Polo Bridge is within China, and it is understandable
that the Chinese would resent the Japanese military presence there.
After this, we move on to the atrocities of the "Rape of Nanking", which again, according to Toland, "somehow" happens, (Toland does admit that there were atrocities and between 200,000 and 300,000 Chinese were butchered by their "brother Asians" who claimed to be liberating them(?)). Toland says the Japanese commander at Nanking did not order any such behavior, nor again, did the government in Tokyo. How then do thousands
of supposedly disciplined Japanese troops suddenly get it into their heads to do such things? Toland doesn't give us a clue, other than his general statement that "westerners don't understand the Japanese". Toland also, in a way, tries to claim that Western opposition to Japanese expansion into China was "hypocritical" because of Western Colonialism in East Asia
(US in the Philippines; Britain in Hong Kong, Malaya, Burma, India; Dutch in East Indies; French in Indochina), however, by the 1930's the US had already agreed to give the Philippines
independence and the British were beginning to wind down the Raj in India was setting up an autonomous Indian government, so it was
apparent that Colonialism was already on its way out before the war.
All this makes me wonder about the various things he says in the book, and I would look for a better source on the tragic history of this period. I have read his books on the end of both World War I and World War II which are much better, so that adds to my disappointment.

As far as I know this is THE classic on Japan in World War II (at least for those of us who don't read japanese), in the same way that William Shirer's 'The rise and fall of the Third Reich' is on Germany. As such, this book should be the starting point for anyone who wants to read about Japan in World War II, and maybe also for the Pacific War in general. This book deserves more reviews (like William Shirer's book, which anyone can see is a classic based on the number of reviews), but I guess most people who read about World War II are interested in the European theatre. A point of notice to those who are mainly interested in military history: The book has a slow start. The first 200+ pages is dedicated to everything that happened before Pearl Harbor, all the diplomacy etc. Once the war starts however, this is pure military history, and you will see that it was worth getting through those first 200 pages.

John Tolland's book is an excellent review of Japanese history in the World War II period of 1936-1945. it is a wonderful addition to the modern war library and conveys not only a great perspective on Japan but world politics at the time. It is very detailed on the significance of battles and key details. This is not a blow by blow summary of the war but a big picture look at how the pacific unfolded and the Japanese empire fell apart. The deep scar this left on the Japanese nation is apparent and the alien nature of Japanese culture to Americans is really well displayed. If you are just starting out on learning about Japan and World War II this really is the best book to start with.

This book is a fascinating narrative of the Japanese military expansion and ensuing involvement in the second world war. More than a simple military history, this books takes you into the inner circles of Japanese politics of the time to understand how Japan half stumbled, half lunged into a completely self destructive war with the United states. Important emphasis is given to the lack of understanding between Japan and the West due to ignorance of cultural differences by all parties and how this accelerated the rush to war and delayed the final peace. Toland also had the rare advantage of actually interviewing some of the surviving important Japanese role players. The one possible weakness of the book is that it presents an overtly sympathetic view of the Japanese and glosses over Japanese atrocities of the period.