Conflicting Currents : Japan and the United States in the Pacific

by Williamson Murray, Tomoyuki Ishizu

Overview

The subjects covered in this collection will appeal to a range of scholars, specialists, and general readers. The contributions of the Japanese scholars will not go unnoticed either for they draw on many primary sources in Japan that have yet to be translated into English and therefore offer a unique perspective on the events and individuals discussed in the essays. By focusing on both the US and Japan, this work provides easy access to the competing perspectives of the two nations, a competition that is enhanced by examinations of individuals and events, which have often been overlooked. The evolution of Japanese strategic goals prior to WWII, for example, was not limited to the vision of Yamamoto any more than the post-war relationship that emerged was defined exclusively by Douglas Macarthur. The Cold War has ended, but the relationship shared by the US and Japan plays a central roll in the GWOT. Overall, the range of topics covered by these essays adds depth to any understanding of the strategies and relations pursued by the two countries while providing a foundation for understanding the relationship as it continues to evolve today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313351594
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/12/2009
Series:	Praeger Security International
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Williamson Murray is the Harold K. Johnson Professor of Military History at the Military History Institute, U.S. Army War College. He is the author of numerous books and articles on WWII, American foreign policy, and military history. He was the editor of The Emerging Strategic Environment (Praeger, 1999).

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter 1 Introduction to Japan and the United States Williamson Murray Tomoyuki Ishizu 1

Chapter 2 U.S. Strategic Planning, 1919-1939: From Innocence to Improvisation: F.G. Hoffman 19

Chapter 3 The Strategy of the Maritime Nation Japan: From Yukichi Fukuzawa to Shigeru Yoshida: Kitaoka Shinichi 39

Chapter 4 The Quest for International Justice and Asianism in a "New Order in East Asia": Fumimaro Konoe and His Vision of the World: Shoji Jun 'Ichiro 51

Chapter 5 Total War, Modernism, and the Final War with the United States: Kanji Ishiwara and His View on War, and on Grand and Military Strategy Tomoyuki Ishizu 65

Chapter 6 U.S. Strategy and Leadership in World War II: The Problem of a Two-Front Strategy Williamson Murray 81

Chapter 7 Diplomatic Strategy of a Defeated Nation: Yoshida Shigeru and His Successors Hiroshi Nakanishi 97

Chapter 8 A Strategy by Accident: U.S. Policy in the Cold War, 1945-1972 Richard Hart Sinnreich 111

Chapter 9 The "Basic Defense Force Concept" as Strategy Narushige Michishita 133

Notes 143

Index 181

Editorial Reviews

Nine chapters, presented by Murray (emeritus, The Ohio State U., US) and Ishizu (military history, National Institute of Defense Studies, Japan), explore the grand and military strategic planning of the United States and Japan over the course of the 20th century. The articles collectively place the relationship between the two countries within the context of the formation of their overarching strategic goals in different eras.” —Reference & Research Book News

From the Publisher