Description
Book SynopsisSince the beginning of the Meiji period when Japan evolved into a modern and powerful nation-state, ideas of empire and constitution imbued Japanese rule and progress. In
Empire and Constitution in Modern Japan, Junji Banno expertly analyses how these conflicting concepts operated together in Japan from 1868 until 1937.By empire', Banno means the Japanese impetus to create its own empire; by constitution', he identifies Japanese efforts to create a constitutional government. In this book, Banno discusses the complicated relationship between these two concepts, ranging from incompatibility in some periods to symbiosis in others. Furthermore, understanding the complex and competing nature of these ideals, he persuasively reasons, is key to our understanding of why Japan and China went to war in 1937, leading to Pearl Harbor just four years later.Translated by eminent scholar Arthur Stockwin, Banno's highly accessible account of the dynamics of pre-war Japanese political history pr
Trade ReviewInformative, accessible, and beautifully translated,
Empire and Constitution in Modern Japan is an exciting volume that sheds light on Japan's evolving processes of empire building and constitutionalism, highlighting areas of overlap and tension. Excerpts from contemporary archival sources such as letters and diary entries provide invaluable information, presented here in English translation in many cases for the first time. This book will be an invaluable addition to teaching and research on Japanese history, Sino-Japanese relations, and studies of war, imperialism, and democracy in Japan. -- Jennifer Coates, University of Sheffield
This is a valuable translation of a work that represents a lifetime of research by a senior Japanese scholar exploring the political history of imperial Japan. Banno organizes his narrative around a tension between periods of expansive imperialism and periods of constitutional development and presents many fascinating details and documents along the way. -- Professor Luke Roberts, University of California
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I. The Beginnings of 'Empire' and 'Constitution': 1874 - 1895 1. Beating China: Towards a 'Small Empire' -- The Taiwan Expedition 2. Demanding a Constitutional System of Government 3. The Imo (Jingo) and Kapsin (Koshin) Incidents: 'Empire' Once Again 4. The Sino-Japanese War: The Birth of 'Empire' and the Consolidation of 'Constitution'
Part II. The Division between 'Empire' and the Consolidation of 'Constitution' 5. Strong Army and War Weariness: 'Empire' and 'Constitution' before the Russo-Japanese War 6. From the Russo-Japanese War to the First World War: Struggle between 'Empire' and 'Constitution' 7. From the Taisho Political Change to the Siemens Affair: Stagnation of 'Empire' and Surge of 'Constitution' 8. The Twenty-One Demands to China: 'Constitution' Domesticity, 'Empire' Externally
Part III. The End of 'Constitution' and 'Empire': 1918-1937 9. What Happened between the Two World Wars? 10. Three Episodes between the Two World Wars Conclusion: Irresponsible 'Empire' without 'Constitution' Bibliography Index
