In the Service of the Emperor : The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1931–1945

The expansion of the Japanese Empire between 1931 until its defeat in 1945 is one of the most extraordinary yet shocking episodes in human history. Extraordinary in that a relatively non-industrialised island nation was prepared to go to war, concurrently, with China, the most populous country, Great Britain with its world-wide empire and the USA, the wealthiest and most powerful country on earth. Shocking, as those 'in the service of the Emperor’ practiced persistent and unrestrained brutality as they conquered and occupied swathes of South East Asia. But, as this superbly researched work reveals, there is no denying their fighting and logistical expertise. The author examines the political, economic and strategic effects of the rapid Japanese expansion and explores the cult of deity that surrounded the Emperor. The contribution of the Allied forces and their leadership is given due attention. When retribution duly came, it was focussed on the military leadership responsible for unspeakable atrocities on their military and civilian victims. The physical perpetrators remaining largely unpunished. Japan, today, has still not acknowledged its wartime guilt. The result is an authoritative, balanced and highly readable account of a chapter of world history that must never be forgotten. HISTORY / Military / World War II Cover 1 Book Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Maps 8 Acknowledgements 10 Glossary 12 Chapter One Preamble 14 Chapter Two 1926–39 The Emperor 16 Chapter Three 1904–37 Aspirations for Empire 20 Chapter Four 1937–45 The Second Sino-Japanese War 35 Chapter Five 1938–45 The Russian Threat, the Chinese War and the Burma Road 52 Chapter Six 1938–41 The Path to World War 63 Chapter Seven August–December 1941 Manipulation and Misunderstanding 73 Chapter Eight December 1941–February 1942 Pearl Harbor, Thailand, Guam, Malaya and Singapore 80 Chapter Nine December 1941 The Philippines, Wake Island, Hong Kong and Bataan 105 Chapter Ten 1931–45 Comfort Woman 127 Chapter Eleven 15 December 1941–8 May 1942 Burma, Battles of Ceylon and the Coral Sea 133 Chapter Twelve June–July 1942 The Ebb of the Tide – The Battleof Midway 149 Chapter Thirteen 1415–1945 Inconvenient Guests and their Treatment 156 Chapter Fourteen August 1942–February 1943 The Kokoda Trail, Guadalcanal, the Battle of Savo Island andthe Battle of the Bismarck Sea 168 Chapter Fifteen November 1942–3 Food, the Bengal Famine andthe First Chindit Operation 191 Chapter Sixteen January–December 1943 Yamamoto, Attu, Casablanca, Cairo, Quebec and Teheran 197 Chapter Seventeen April–December 1943 Operation CARTWHEEL, Bougainville and Rabaul 203 Chapter Eighteen November 1942–August 1943 Co-prosperity, Tarawa, Makinand Mountbatten 207 Chapter Nineteen January 1944 Kwajalein, Roi-Namur, Truk, Foodand Eniwetok 216 Chapter Twenty February 1944–August 1945 Kohima, Imphal, the Second Chindit Operation, Marauders and the Recapture of Burma 222 Chapter Twenty-One 22 April–19 June 1944 Hollandia, Aitape, Biak Island, Mopping-up, Saipan and the Marianas ‘Turkey Shoot’ 243 Chapter Twenty-Two 19 July–27 November 1944 Trophies, Logistics, Guam, Tinian,Morotai and Peleliu 257 Chapter Twenty-Three October–December 1944 Leyte 272 Chapter Twenty-Four October 1944–August 1945 Kamikaze 288 Chapter Twenty-Five December 1944–March 1945 Mindoro, Luzon and Massacre 293 Chapter Twenty-Six February–June 1945 Iwo Jima 299 Chapter Twenty-Seven April–June 1945 Okinawa 306 Chapter Twenty-Eight 1945 316 Epilogue 321 Bibliography 330 Index 337 Back cover 346 Covers the dramatic 15 years of Japanese Empire expansion.