Japan PoliSci

Hardcover. NY, Columbia University, 1st, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, lightly worn dust jacket, 300 pages. Book from 1980, being one of the most influential works of Japanese history and political theory. With its glorification of Japan's system of imperial succession, the author's 14th century tract became the catechism of loyalty to the throne for generations of Japanese. Beginning with recounting of Japan's divine origins, it tells of the early deities who ruled before heaven and earth were separated. Then the lives of the human sovereigns are chronicled who ruled over Japan in the 21 centuries following the founding of the empire in the year 606 BC. This first complete English translation of this landmark work gives an extensive introduction placing the chronicle in the context of 14th century Japan and exploring its powerful legacy of Japan before the Tokugawa period. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.

Hardcover. Potomac Books/University of Nebraska, 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 222 pages. Burning Japan is an investigation of how and why the air force shifted its tactics against Japan from a precision bombing strategy to area attacks. The guiding doctrine of the 1930s and 1940s called for focused attacks on specific targets deep behind enemy lines. Eager to prove itself, the nascent Army Air Force at first lauded the indispensability of strategic bombardment in areas otherwise unreachable by the army or navy. But when strategic bombing failed to yield the desired results in Europe and in initial efforts against Japan, the United States switched tactics, a shift that culminated in the area firebombing of nearly every major Japanese metropolis and the burning of sixty-six cities to the ground. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Tokyo, Sophia University, 1st, 1970, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 87 pages. INSCRIBED BY GEORGE M. WILSON ON FRONT ENDPAPER. Black boards, cream cloth spine with gilt titles, white dust jacket with illustration. Price-clipped, slight rubbing to dust jacket, pages crisp and unmarked; overall, a very clean, tight copy in great condition.

Hardcover. NY, Columbia University Press, 1st, 1984, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 410 pages with index. Contains selected translations from Taiheiyo senso e no michi: kaisen gaiko shi. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean. The first volume in Morley's 4 volume set "Japan's Road to the Pacific War".

Hardcover. Athens GA, University of Georgia Press, 1st, 1979, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a dust jacket with light fading to spine, 305 pages, b&w illustrations. Notes, bibilography, index. Highly informed opinions concerning most of the controversial aspects of the Allied occupation of Japan and the adjustment of Japanese politicians to the democratic process. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.

Hardcover. Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 1st, 1982, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket with a hole on front fore-edge, 318 pages. Mutsu Munemitsu was the Foreign Minister of Japan during the time of the Sino-Japanese War from 1894 until the signing of the peace treaty on May 8, 1895. Mutsu was responsible for the secret documents on diplomatic matters in which he was involved, such as the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the facts about the Triple Intervention. The phrase "kenken" means "serving the sovereign with a pained heart," thus showing his loyalty to serve the Emperor. The documents in this book are exceedingly important as they are virtually the only material mentioning the diplomatic situations in the days of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Name on front fly leaf otherwise clean.

Hardcover. New York, St. Martin's Press, 1st US, 1986, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 233 pages, black cloth covers with gilt lettering on spine. Previous owner's signature on front fly leaf. Some light pencil marking to pages. Nihonjinron is a school of thought about Japanese persons exceptional uniqueness espoused by Japanese intellectuals in the early 20th century. The author attempts to prove that "nihonjinron" it is a kind of 'fictional mentality' supposedly based on ancient traditions.

Softcover. NY, Pantheon Books, 1st, 1982, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 297 pages. This compelling social history uses diaries, memoirs, fiction, trial testimony, personal recollections, and eyewitness accounts to weave a fascinating tale of what ordinary Japanese endured throughout their country's era of economic growth. Through vivid, often wrenching accounts of peasants, miners, textile workers, rebels, and prostitutes, Mikiso Hane forces us to see Japan's "modern century" (from the beginnings of contact with the West to World War II) through fresh eyes. In doing so, he mounts a formidable challenge to the success story of Japan's "economic miracle." Starting with the Meiji restoration of 1868, Hane vividly illustrates how modernization actually widened the gulf, economically and socially, between rich and poor, between the mo-bo and mo-ga ("modern boy" and "modern girl") of the cities and their rural counterparts. He interlaces his scholarly narrative with sharply etched individual stories that allow us see Japan from the bottom up. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 2nd pr., 1969, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 637 pages, black cloth covers with red and gilt design on spine. Previous owner's signature on front fly leaf. Bright, price-clipped dust jacket.

Hardcover. London, Angus and Robertson, 1st UK, 1967, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket. General, minister of war, prime minister, and unrepentant ultranationalist, Hideki Tojo was the most powerful leader in the Japanese government during World War II. This clear and compelling portrait of Tojo illuminates the spartan, single-minded, incorruptible personality of the man who chose war rather than succumb to U.S.-induced economic strangulation. 20 photos. 288 pages. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Westport CT, Greenwood Press, 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, maroon cloth covers stamped in silver, 242 pages. Previous owner's inscription on front fly leaf, otherwise clean. Over the course of the American Occupation of Japan, the U.S. attitude toward the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) gradually shifted from one of friendly cooperation to one of mutual opposition. This new study examines the initial approach toward communism in Japan; internal and external factors that affected American attitudes; the various phases of the relationship; and how Japan ultimately became a democratic nation. Oinas-Kukkonen investigates American information gathering techniques used at the time to determine possible links with the Soviet Union. He also discusses the possibility that Nosaka Sanzo, one of the main leaders of the JCP, was an American spy. Using previously secret records of General MacArthur's intelligence staff and plentiful archival materials on the Occupation, this study explores how the United States originally sought to utilize the JCP to assist in the democratization process. It identifies the perceived threat of a revolution in March 1947 as a key turning point in U.S. attitudes. Involved in a delicate balancing act with multiple Japanese interests, some American officials feared that elements of the extreme left might even evolve into extreme right-wing terrorists. In this comprehensive account, Oinas-Kukkonen includes information on the indirect role of the Europeans in this affair, as well as the roles of outsider groups such as the outcaste burakumin and the Koreans residing in Japan.