Hirohito and the making of modern Japan
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English
Description
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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Contributors:
ISBN:
9780060193140
9780060931308
9781977304315
9780061860478
9780060931308
9781977304315
9780061860478
Accelerated Reader:
UG
Level 13.4, 50 Points
Level 13.4, 50 Points
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | f716fb57-1458-7001-0d1a-082c95ce7619 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | hirohito and the making of modern japan |
Grouping Author | herbert p bix |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-16 02:52:27AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-17 22:28:10PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_interest_level
UG
accelerated_reader_point_value
50
accelerated_reader_reading_level
13.4
auth_author2
Yen, Jonathan
author
Bix, Herbert P.
author2-role
Yen, Jonathan,reader
hoopla digital
hoopla digital
author_display
Bix, Herbert P.
display_description
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.
format_category_eh
Audio Books
Books
eBook
Books
eBook
format_eh
Book
eAudiobook
eBook
eAudiobook
eBook
id
f716fb57-1458-7001-0d1a-082c95ce7619
isbn
9780060193140
9780060931308
9780061860478
9781977304315
9780060931308
9780061860478
9781977304315
itype_eh
ADULT BOOK
LEAP 28 Day Book
LEAP 28 Day Book
last_indexed
2024-04-18T04:28:10.597Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9780060193140
publishDate
2000
2001
2009
2018
2001
2009
2018
publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
HarperCollinsPublishers
Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Tantor Media, Inc
HarperCollinsPublishers
Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Tantor Media, Inc
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Biographies
Biography
Electronic books
Emperors -- Japan -- Biography
Hirohito, -- Emperor of Japan, -- 1901-1989
History
Japan
Japan -- History -- Shōwa period, 1926-1989
Pulitzer Prizes -- Biography -- 2001
Biography
Electronic books
Emperors -- Japan -- Biography
Hirohito, -- Emperor of Japan, -- 1901-1989
History
Japan
Japan -- History -- Shōwa period, 1926-1989
Pulitzer Prizes -- Biography -- 2001
title_display
Hirohito and the making of modern Japan
title_full
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan [electronic resource] / Herbert P. Bix
Hirohito and the making of modern Japan / Herbert P. Bix
Hirohito and the making of modern Japan / Herbert P. Bix
title_short
Hirohito and the making of modern Japan
topic_facet
Biography
Electronic books
Emperors
Hirohito
History
Pulitzer Prizes
Electronic books
Emperors
Hirohito
History
Pulitzer Prizes
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