Description
Book SynopsisVilified in the West as the Japanese equivalent of Hitler, Hideki Tojo (1884-1948) was in fact cut from very different cloth. Lacking the skills and charisma of a statesman, fueled by no apocalyptic visions, Tojo was an unimaginative soldier whose primary goals were to establish Japan''s military strength and serve his emperor. Yet his determination and ambition caused him to participate in the seizure of power when the military took over the government. WWII scholar Hoyt, a resident of Japan, relies on new sources and remarkable insight to show how Tojo and the leaders of Japan''s armed forces gained control of the country, but how ambition ultimately proved to be Tojo''s undoing.
Trade ReviewA revelatory portrait of an Axis kingpin whose intriguing story has been overlooked. * Kirkus *
Readers will get a clear picture of what led Japan into war and of Tojo's place in it. * Library Journal *
Hoyt fills a longstanding gap in the popular history of the Pacific theater with this biography. * Booklist *
The life, career, and fall of Japan's leading warlord of World War II unfolds at a brisk pace in Edwin Hoyt's succinct yet detailed biography. He has been a longtime resident of Japan and is one of the most prolific and engaging historians writing today. This revealing book is highly relevant to any study of the 1939-1945 global holocaust because it opens a clear window on what led Japan to war and Tojo's role in it. * World War II History *
