Liberal Japan

Tessa Morris-Suzuki, one of my favorite historians writes an excellent review for the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun’s watershed publication, Who was Responsible? From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor.

Here is a link to the review:
Who is Responsible? The Yomiuri Project and the Enduring Legacy of the Asia-Pacific War


In order to avoid being too post-modern I’ll try to avoid making a review of a review but let me just say this review is well worth checking out. Morris-Suzuki gives a nice outline of the partial demise and then revival of post-war nationalism, then proceeds with her review of the book in question. Definitely check it out.

In the review, Morris-Suzuki regrets that only volume 2 of the original publication was translated into English:

The decision to translate only Volume 2 seems to me to have been a regrettable one, since it leaves English-language readers with a slightly misleading impression of the nature of the project.

However, there are several related essays on-line. I believe they make up either a partial or a complete set of volume 1. I have listed links to all these essays below. Check them out after you read Morris-Suzuki’s review.

Introduction:

• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (1) / Manchuria start of slide into war (Aug.16,2005)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (2) / 3 mistakes led to war with U.S. (Aug.17,2005)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (3) / War fought on ‘armchair plan’ (Aug.18,2005)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (4) / Were A-bombings avoidable? (Aug.19,2005)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (5) / Trial left questions unanswered (Aug.20,2005)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (6) / Foundations necessary to argue war responsibility (Aug.21,2005)

Final Reports:

• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past / Yomiuri sums up who’s to blame for ‘Showa War’ (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (1) / Who should bear the most blame for the Showa War? (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (2) / Konoe, Hirota sat on their hands (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (3) / Matsuoka, Oshima misled diplomacy (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (4) / Tojo erases ’seeds for avoiding war’ (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (5) / Tojo, Koiso ignore defeats (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (6) / Anami, Umezu press ahead with war (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (7) / Suicide air, sea attacks gradually become systemized part of warfare (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (8) / Togo mistakenly seeks Soviet Union’s help to resolve situation (Aug.13,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (9) / Main blame lies with Tojo (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (10) / Konoe allows military to dominate (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (11) / Sugiyama, Nagano, others made major misjudgments (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (12) / Some leaders made peace efforts (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (13) / Emperor Showa stayed within framework for constitutional head of state (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (14) / More than 3.1 million Japanese died in Showa War (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (15) / Lower-ranked officers also to blame (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (16) / Keeping distance from Tokyo Trial (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (17) / Responsibility of U.S., Soviet Union (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (18) / Japan failed to accurately grasp global trends (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (19) / Rise of reckless officers, the bureaucratized military (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (20) / Diet rubber-stamped military operations (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (21) / Media helped fan support for war (Aug.15,2006)
• WAR RESPONSIBILITY–delving into the past (22) / Disregard for life led to huge damage, tragedy at home, abroad (Aug.15,2006)