Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

This Open Access book, authored by a leading scholar of Japanese modern and wartime economic history, presents the first English treatment of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere from its conception in the 1910s to its disastrous conclusion in 1945, focusing on Japan's interwar and wartime diplomacy and policy-making. With concrete data and vivid retelling of the intense debates between politicians, policy makers, and military officials, Adachi reveals how Japan s vision for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was driven by its desire to establish an economic self-sufficiency zone to fight the nation s total war. At the core, Adachi argues, was the fundamental dilemma of Japan as a modern nation: While modern Japan rapidly emerged as a mighty military empire capable of dominating the Asian sphere, its meager resources necessitated that Japan continue relying on imports, especially from Britain and the United States. In accessible language, this book untangles the complex web of intentions and conflicting agendas that eventually resulted in Japan s military aggression, violence, colonial expansion, overextension of resources, and ultimately its utter defeat in 1945.