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Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan [Paperback]

Herbert P. Bix (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 832 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Perennial Ed edition (9 Nov 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0060931302
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060931308
  • Product Dimensions: 14 x 3.2 x 20.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 564,494 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

Herbert P. Bix
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Product Description

Product Description

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

In this groundbreaking biography of the Japanese emperor Hirohito, Herbert P. Bix offers the first complete, unvarnished look at the enigmatic leader whose sixty-three-year reign ushered Japan into the modern world. Never before has the full life of this controversial figure been revealed with such clarity and vividness. Bix shows what it was like to be trained from birth for a lone position at the apex of the nation's political hierarchy and as a revered symbol of divine status. Influenced by an unusual combination of the Japanese imperial tradition and a modern scientific worldview, the young emperor gradually evolves into his preeminent role, aligning himself with the growing ultranationalist movement, perpetuating a cult of religious emperor worship, resisting attempts to curb his power, and all the while burnishing his image as a reluctant, passive monarch. Here we see Hirohito as he truly was: a man of strong will and real authority.

Supported by a vast array of previously untapped primary documents, "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan "is perhaps most illuminating in lifting the veil on the mythology surrounding the emperor's impact on the world stage. Focusing closely on Hirohito's interactions with his advisers and successive Japanese governments, Bix sheds new light on the causes of the China War in 1937 and the start of the Asia-Pacific War in 1941. And while conventional wisdom has had it that the nation's increasing foreign aggression was driven and maintained not by the emperor but by an elite group of Japanese militarists, the reality, as witnessed here, is quite different. Bix documents in detail the strong, decisive role Hirohito played in wartime operations, from the takeover of Manchuria in 1931 through the attack on Pearl Harbor and ultimately the fateful decision in 1945 to accede to an unconditional surrender. In fact, the emperor stubbornly prolonged the war effort and then used the horrifying bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, together with the Soviet entrance into the war, as his exit strategy from a no-win situation. From the moment of capitulation, we see how American and Japanese leaders moved to justify the retention of Hirohito as emperor by whitewashing his wartime role and reshaping the historical consciousness of the Japanese people. The key to this strategy was Hirohito's alliance with General MacArthur, who helped him maintain his stature and shed his militaristic image, while MacArthur used the emperor as a figurehead to assist him in converting Japan into a peaceful nation. Their partnership ensured that the emperor's image would loom large over the postwar years and later decades, as Japan began to make its way in the modern age and struggled -- as it still does -- to come to terms with its past.

Until the very end of a career that embodied the conflicting aims of Japan's development as a nation, Hirohito remained preoccupied with politics and with his place in history. "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan" provides the definitive account of his rich life and legacy. Meticulously researched and utterly engaging, this book is proof that the history of twentieth-century Japan cannot be understood apart from the life of its most remarkable and enduring leader.

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Emperor Meiji's first grandson was born on April 29,1901, within the Aovama Palace in Tokyo. Read the first page
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The history of Japan has been re-written. This book is a must for those who claim to know the real Japan - they will find they really know very little.

But be prepared - keep a good dictionary next to you whilst wading through this lengthy tome. To understand Japan and it's people, society and culture, this book must be read

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is without doubt one of the greatest pieces of WW2 literature of all time. It tells the story of Japan's 124th monarch; his imperial majesty the Emperor Showa-Tenno. I would advise this book to anyone even remotely intersted in the Chrisanthemum throne.
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Very comprehensive 2 Oct 2011
By Angelo
Format:Hardcover
I started reading the book a few days ago and I am already very much into it. It highlights many aspects that contribute to the understanding of Japan before WWII, during the war and, by the time I reach the end of the book, present Japan as well.
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