Politics and Culture in Wartime Japan

The Pacific War was the most traumatic experience for Japan in modern times. This book examines the politics and culture of Japan during this period: the establishment of the wartime regime, its character and limitations; the actions and reactions of the emperor, the bureaucrats, and the politicians; the deposing of the Prime Minister in the middle of the war; political developments under his successors; the role of the press; the behaviour of intellectuals; and prevailing attitudes towards the West.

Ben-Ami Shillony argues that the wartime regime of Japan, repressive as it was, was very different from contemporary totalitarian states. The political values of the Japanese were part of a wider cultural milieu, in which traditional concepts had already been affected by contact with Western civilization.