Japanese Militarism

CONTENTS: CHAPTER I The War Against Japan PAGE i CHAPTER II The Political Oligarchy I 12 CHAPTER III The Economic Oligarchy 59 CHAPTER IV The Emperor Idea 91 CHAPTER V Foreign Influences and Anti-Foreignism 123 CHAPTER VI The Authoritarian State 155 CHAPTER VII Background of War 182 CHAPTER VIII The Future of Japan 226 INDEX follows page 258. PREFACE: a UR WAR against Japan has been long and costly in both men and treasure. Yet we still have not revealed clearly that we know what we are fighting for. We have fought to avenge Pearl Harbor and the victims of the infamous March of Death in the Philippines, to kill c the little yellow monkey men and., occasionally and in a vague sort of way, to rid the world of Japanese militarism The lack of a clearly defined set of war aims against Japan has certainly not impaired the fighting efficiency of the armies and the naval and air forces that have been piling defeat after defeat on the Japanese enemy. But as the final defeat of Japan comes nearer and the problems of the peace loom larger, we must have a clearer conception of the nature of the ideas that we are fighting in our war against Japan. This book has been written in the hope of bringing into clearer focus the aims of the ideological war. We shall not have won the war until the peace hasbeen firmly established., and it can be so established only after the crushing of the ideas on which Japanese mili tarism and aggression are based. It would be impossible to list here the names of all who have helped me, directly or indirectly, to formulate my thinking about Japan. I am greatly in debt to my classes at the Univer sity of Washington, whose interest and, at times, lack of interest forced me to do much of the research and the think ing on which the book is based. George E. Taylor, the head of my department at the University, and Harold M. Vinacke of ix Preface the University of Cincinnati have been particularly unstint ing in the aid and counsel they have given me. I musty of course, assume sole responsibility for the ideas set down in these pages. They are the fruit of my research and my thinking at the University and are not related to the work I have been engaged in since my departure, on leave, from the University in the spring of 1942. I should like to add that the names in this book are set down according to the Japanese usage the surname is written first and the given name second. Japanese historical figures are re ferred to by their given names rather than by their family names. JOHN M. MAKI Japanese Militarism.