"A lucid history of the rise and fall of militarism in Japan…" — New York Journal of Books Japan at War in the Pacific recounts the dramatic story of Japan's transformation from a Samurai-led feudal society to a modern military-industrial empire in the space of a few decades—and the many wars it fought along the way. These culminated in an attempt by Japan's military leaders to create an Asia-Pacific empire which at its greatest extent rivaled the British Empire in scope and power. The battle for supremacy in the Pacific brought the Japanese to great heights but led ultimately to the nation's utter devastation at the end of World War II, culminating with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki—the only time such weapons have been used in warfare. In this book, author Jonathan Clements offers fascinating insights into: The wars that Japan fought during its rise to supremacy in the western Pacific, including the Russo-Japanese War, the seizure of Manchuria and war in China, and the Pacific theater of World War II. - The many military actions undertaken by Imperial Japanese forces including the horrific "Rape of Nanjing," the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the decisive defeat at the Battle of Midway, the savage Battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima, and many more. - The motivations and beliefs of Japan's leaders, as well as the policy decisions of a government dedicated to expansion which ultimately led to a complete dismantling of the nation's political and social order during the Allied Occupation. With over 75 photographs and maps, this book vividly recounts the brutal story of Japan's military conquests. Clements charts the evolution of the Japanese empire in the Pacific and the influence of a ruthless military-led government on everything from culture and food to fashion and education—including the anthems and rallying calls of a martial nation which were silenced long ago but continue to echo in Asian politics. "In 1853, a fleet of US warships arrived at Japan, and through the threat of violence, ended Japan's 250 years of self-isolation from the world. The destabilization caused by this event led to a government that looked to the Western powers as their example, and they started down the road to creating an empire. Jonathan Clements's new book outlines how a nation that had no living memory of war transformed itself into a militarized, expansionist power that dragged the entirety of Asia and the Pacific into war."-- Powell's Books Blog "Jonathan Clements' new book Japan at War in the Pacific is a lucid history of the rise and fall of militarism in Japan…" -- New York Journal of Books Tuttle Publishing Jonathan Clements is the author of many books including A Brief History of Japan; Christ's Samurai: The True Story of the Shimabara Rebellion; A Brief History of the Samurai; Modern Japan: All That Matters and biographies of Admiral Togo and Prince Saionji Kinmochi. In 2016 he became the presenter of Route Awakening (National Geographic Channel), a TV series on the historical icons of Chinese culture. While the Korea debate dragged on, Japan faced another foreign policy problem in Taiwan--events preceded the Korea issue, but had taken many months to percolate. On a stormy night in November 1871, a ship from the Ryukyu Islands had capsized off Taiwan's south-east coast. Sixty-six survivors struggled ashore, where local Chinese warned them of "savage" tribesmen in the forest, and under the pretext of helping them, relieved them of all their valuables. Distrusting their erstwhile saviors, the Ryukyuans left them behind and marched into the forbidden forest, where they met local villagers, who made a ritual friendship offer of water and food. The story, as told back in Japan, was that the sailors were massacred by head-hunters. The story back in Taiwan, was that they had met local villagers, and inadvertently insulted them by dining and dashing. Possibly, the villagers had expected a “reward” that was not forthcoming; possibly their extraction of this ransom from their charges was regarded by the Ryukyuans as robbery. Whatever happened, fifty-four of the fleeing Ryukyuans were tracked down the following day and slaughtered. There were multiple chances to settle the incident at a local level. But the Ryuku islands were in a territorially unclear position, and deliberately so. Ever since 1655, the "kings" of the Ryuku islands had only existed in order to keep up the pretense of Ryuku being a Chinese vassal state--such a performance thereby avoided antagonizing the Chinese and provoking military action. Now, however, the Japanese state wanted Ryuku officially acknowledged as part of its own territory, and the deaths of the fishermen on Taiwan were a priceless opportunity to enforce this idea. The Japanese were encouraged in this by Charles Le Gendre (1830 - 99), the former American consul in Amoy, China, who pushed himself on the Japanese as an adviser in Taiwanese aboriginal mat