Description
Book SynopsisThe story of the bitter political struggles within a factionalized military elite, released in the 1920's from the constraints of the informal but unified system of Imperial leadership which had characterized the military in the Meiji era.
Trade Review"The 1920s is always presented as a low point of military influence in Japan, a kind of anomalous pause before the dive into total war. Humphreys seeks to bridge that gap, and in doing so, he succeeds admirably in showing that the army continued to evolve even as it receded from center stage." --
History"Amazingly, this incisive and well-written work is the first book-length account in English of the Japanese army in a crucial period before World War II. Based on an extraordinary number of Japanese sources and on interviews with participants in the events he describes, Humphreys's book will be important for scholars both of modern Japan and of military organizations in general. His perspective as a longtime U.S. army officer adds to the quality of his analysis and the depth of his scholarship." -- Richard Smethurst * University of Pittsburgh *
Table of Contents1. The background to army politics 2. The army faces change 3. The changing of the guard: Ugaki comes to power 4. Reduction and modernisation: the Ugaki era 5. The growth of dissidence 6. The Manmo problem and Tayanka's positive solution 7. Jinan and Mukden: the army sets its course in China 8. Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index.
