Acknowledgements; 1. The Meiji generation; 2. The First Sino-Japanese War (1894–5); 3. The Russo-Japanese War (1904–5); 4. The transition from a maritime to a continental security paradigm; 5. The Second Sino-Japanese War (1931–41); 6. The General Asian War (1941–5); 7. Japan betwixt maritime and continental world orders; Selected bibliography; Index.
An accessible, analytical survey of the rise and fall of Imperial Japan in the context of its grand strategy to transform itself into a great power.
S. C. M. Paine, William S. Sims Professor at the United States Naval War College, has spent eight of the last thirty years engaged in research and language study in Japan, Taiwan, China, Russia, and Australia. Her funding has included two Fulbright Fellowships along with fellowships from Japan, Taiwan, and Australia. She is the author of The Wars for Asia (Cambridge, 2012), which received the Richard W. Leopold Prize and the PROSE Award for European and World History, and was longlisted for the Lionel Gelber Prize, and Imperial Rivals (1996), which received the Barbara Jelavich Book Prize.
'In clear and vibrant prose, Paine leads the reader through a
tumultuous century and a half of Japanese history, focusing on the
way Japan's leaders positioned their country in the world, from the
Meiji period, through the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries, and into the period of stunning growth after WWII. A
vital contribution not just to the history of Japan, but to the
study of global geopolitics and grand strategy.' Tonio Andrade,
Emory University, Atlanta
'Professor Paine has produced a comprehensive, very readable book
that examines Japan's precipitous decline into a century of
militarism from the 1860s to 1945. Her sophisticated and nuanced
scholarship would serve as an excellent companion to a standard
historical textbook. Students would profit from reading assignments
in Paine's book that correspond to historical periods. Paine's
excellent summaries of Japanese sources are clear, concise, and
eminently understandable. Her arguments are carefully reasoned and
abundantly annotated. In short, Paine's slim book should be
required reading for any scholar of modern Japanese history.' Louis
G. Perez, Illinois State University
'After a series of wars drawing upon a maritime strategy of limited
intervention in regional affairs, the Japanese shift towards a
strategy of unrestrained continental expansion across the confines
of East Asia led the country to international political isolation,
military overextension, and Imperial implosion. This book will
offer an ideal introduction to the strategic challenges and
military history of one of East Asia's most crucial actors to
students of East Asian security, strategy, and international
history alike.' Alessio Patalano, King's College London
'… the book's interpretation of the Japanese case as a cautionary
tale in the history of international relations is compelling.' Tak
Matsusaka, H-Diplo
'The in-depth discussions of particular military campaigns make for
a valuable reference. Ravina's book is rich in cultural and
intellectual history, and its wideranging geographical and temporal
boundaries make for an engaging read for those interested in
macro-level analyses.' Scott C. M. Bailey, Journal of World History
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