The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire (1957)

This book is by an author who is basically anti-Japanese.

He says that Japan was ruled by the militarists and the plutocrats.

The attitude of the author comes out in this quote:

”I hold no brief for the Japanese, who by their chicanery built up a national cult of militarism, based on mythology, and then sheltered behind the 'divinity' of the human pretender to the throne to sanctify their vile projects of aggression at home and abroad, and I have nothing but contempt for the creatures who destroyed Japan and humiliated their 'sacred Emperor.'”

”The History of Japan affords ample evidence of the repression of the majority by a minority of soldiers and priests.”

”The physical and mental stagnation of the masses was due to centuries of under-nourishment and sub-normal living conditions; most of the time they existed near the border-line between malnutrition and health.”

”Three or four breeds have entered into the formation of the Japanese people: Annu (mongol)-Manchu-Korean-Southern Chinese and Malay.”

”Japanese atrocities have their genesis in...the unity of Tenno, State and People. No matter what a Japanese may do to a foreigner he acts as one of the national family.”

”Moral courage, to distinguish between right and wrong, is non-existent most of the time where a Japanese and a foreigner's viewpoint is in conflict.”

”Thousands of allied prisoners of war were brutally overworked and maltreated. Thousands were half-starved, tortured or bayonetted to death in cold blood.”

”The Imperial General Staff issued orders that prisoners of war retaken after attempts to escape were to be shot.”

”...Japanese as a race are deficient in moral courage and proficient in killing in cold blood.”

”In 1941...the first duty of a Japanese, in or out of his uniform-soldier or civilian, kempei or gorotsuki-was blind obedience to State Shintoism.”

”When you read the sections in Japanese Military Law which apply to Prisoners of War you come to the conclusion that they are spoils of war to be treated as criminals and punished for 'crimes.'”

”Nearly 50,000 prisoners of war were employed on the making of the Siam Railway-16,000 died of torture, disease or starvation.”

”The American government secured possession of Japanese orders-issued between 12th January and March, 1944-which read 'By order of the Japanese Military authorities surrendered personnel captured, with the exception of individuals needed for minute investigation, are to be put to death on the field of battle.'”

The author talks about how the Japanese reported battle losses as actual victories. He adds: “No Japanese planes were shot down in combat-they failed to return after running out of petrol or they had crash-dived into an enemy target...”

”The fight to the finish on Attu and Kiska (May and June, 1943) was extolled and cited as evidence that 'the Spirit of bushido and Yamato-damashi animated a mere handful of Japanese warriors who scorned to surrender.” In other words, the Japanese were wiped out.

There is something that the book has which no other one (at least of those I have looked at so far) had, and that is an explanation of how the Japanese kept referring to the “100 million” when the population of Japan was below that.

The number included other members of the Empire; Japan itself had 69,251,265 people. Korea had 22,898,695. Formosa had 5,212,719. Sakhalin had 331,949. Manchuria had 1,656,763. Th South Seas area had 102,238, and there were 872,807 Japanese residents living abroad, which brings the grand total to 100,326,436.

The author talks about Japan near the end of the war, and the effect of the bombing by the B-29s, noting that losses in Naval and air strength could not be replaced. Raw material and fuel was in short supply; Food was short.

The Japanese navy, at the end of the war, had 52 ships left. That is 52 out of a total of 380 during the war, which is a loss of about 86% of their ships.

Japanese merchant shipping also suffered heavy losses. In relation to tonnage, the Japanese lost about 83% of their shipping.

The author then addresses the use of the atomic bombs and says : “According to the 'rules of total-warfare' all weapons suitable for destruction are used by any power without a declaration of intention.'”

”Hiroshima and Nagasaki were total-warfare answers to the brutality of the Bataan death march and the 'polite bombing' of Pearl Harbor.”

”There was almost as much secrecy observed about Japan's overtures for peace as there was secrecy regarding the atomic bombs.”



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