Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan

Rating:
Summary: The making of modern Japan...and Hirohito
Review: I think the author of this book got the title a little backwards. Although a re-defining of Hirohito is a point of the book, it is not the main point when it comes to sheer volume of text. Much more is devoted to the shaping of Japan as a country, from the Meiji roots, through the militarization of WWII and back out again, under the US occupation, and finally independent again till the death of Hirohito.

What is there of Hirohito is maybe 95% intelligent speculation, strung together from official texts and guarded and unguarded moments of his confidants. Being the Emperor of Japan, almost every public face of Hirohito is tightly controlled, and as the author admits, there is little to no access to the private thoughts or personal convictions of the Showa Emperor.

Bix does an excellent job with the available material, however, and makes a good case for a considerably stronger role for Hirohito during WWII than was sold to the world. I am sure that he is closer to the truth than the official position, and "closer to the truth" is probably the best we will ever get, unless the Imperial Family releases his private diaries, which is an unlikely move.

"Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan" does make for an excellent history book for those like me, who are largely ignorant of this period of Japanese history. I certainly am more well-informed than I was before, and interested enough to continue learning. Bix's writing style is academic, and not really there to capture the imagination and make history "come alive," so reading the book is a commitment.

Of special interest is the growth of military power from the Japanese point-of-view, and the understanding how fear of economically and militarily powerful countries like the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union can cause less wealthy, less developed countries to take steps to protect themselves from assimilation. There is a definite lesson to be learned here, with what happened in Japan and what is happening now with the Middle Eastern countries. An eye-opener, to say the least.

Rating:
Summary: In retrospect, I'm not sure what to think of it
Review: "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan" is one of those books that everyone wants to like. I know I certainly did. The Japanese Emperor is certainly a fascinating character, and I was certainly interested in learning more about him. This book is long, thick, and clearly researched. It seems like it should be the perfect book, and most will go into it eagerly. Reading these reviews, however have confirmed many of my own skepticisms, and have made me reflect on my inital eagerness.

As the numerous negative reviewers of this book have accurately pointed out, Mr. Bix is not the type of historian who makes "history come alive" so to speak. Much of the book reads as if Bix wrote it for himself, because he certainly does not make much of an attempt to guide his reader through this confusing barrage of names, dates, and events. I also felt a bit decieved when I learned that Mr. Bix is himself somwehat of a neo-Marxist type. The back cover of the book also features praise from several other leading Marxist scholars, including Noam Chomsky, which should probably have been a greater cause for alarm.

I admit I did not see much of Mr. Bix's biases while reading this book, other than the occasional critical sentence about US Cold War actions near the end. However, as another reviewer accurately mentioned, much of this book is about unfamilar material, so by reading it we are putting a great deal of trust in Mr. Bix to give us the "real story." I am skeptical if a book so loved by Marxist historians can be completely accurate, but at the same time, I understand that this is a very interpretable book, and three people are likely to have four different opinions on what conclusions should be drawn from reading it.

Despite all this, there is still much that is right with this book. Bix is good with description when nessisary, and when he wants to, can paint very successful pictures for the reader. I especially found his post-war descriptions of the interactions between General MacArthur and the Emperor to be very interesting in their detail.
The included photographs are also well chosen and useful, especially at helping put a face to the names of all these Japanese politicians.

So overall, I am not sure what to think. I think time will tell how useful this book is.

Rating:
Summary: Unfair
Review: In all the discussions about Hirohito's culpability, or that of Japan for that matter, pertaining the Pacific War and the period leading up to it an important point seems to be lacking: the fact that Japan came from a position where becoming a colony or a colonisator were the only options. In other words, the time frame is missing. It would be more fair if any judgement of Japan and Hirohito was done in relation and in comparison with the other colonial powers and their track records. Furthermore, the influence of contemporary Western thought and concepts,viz. the right to conquer nations considered inferior and subject them to a 'higher culture', on Japan and the incorporation of that influence in the Co-prosperity doctrine should be considered.
Also the racist aspect should be taken into consideration: both in the boycotting of Japan before the war and in the immigration quotations for Asians, and also Japanese civilians, in the US at that time. But most importantly I think any judgement of Japan should be formulated considering the opinions and concepts of that period. It was the time of the "white man's burden" and a time when colonies and subjecting inferior peoples (=non-whites) to the civilizing superiority of Western thought and culture. It could therefore be interesting to explore the anger of ex-internees in the former colonies against Japan in the light of the colonial way of thinking in superior and inferior people.
It seems to me that Blix accuses Hirohito of not being a western style, late twentieth century democrat and blames him for not being able to shed his education and cultural bias and being unable to forsee the future.
As for the rather denigrating treatment of the imperial myths by Bix, I would say it could be applied to the majority, if not all the royal houses. I wonder if it could not even be applied to all centres of power and authority. For it seems to me that all centres of power, democratic or absolute, are using some kind of mystique to justify or conceal their actions; whether it is the mystery of symbols, the 'freedom' mantra, the will of the people, the course of history, God's Will, the sanctity of a religion and what have you.
Having stated all this I do not belittle nor justify the atrocities committed by the Japanese forces in the territories they had invaded and occupied, nor do I want to be an apologee for the Hirohito. But it should also be acknowledged that not all the Japanese forces committed atrocities and that the treatment of internees and POW's was different depending on the geographic location and responsible authority. I do believe that a fair judgement should be made, and associating imperial Japan with nazi Germany, as so many try to do, is neither fair nor correct. This book in trying to prove that Hirohito was a leader with absolute powers who planned war and destruction in the style Hitler was and did, is another of those attempts to make wartime Japan into the Asian version of the Third Reich. And Bix, too, could not make the case.
The question whether Hirohito should have been tried as a war criminal could be answered affirmatively. He should have been tried, as much as the king and queens of the Netherlands for the colonial wars in the Dutch East Indies with the subsequent atrocites in Aceh, Lombok, Bali that lasted up until the Japanese invasion in 1942; and for the slavery (also sexual) on the Sumatran plantations and forced labor in the mines that lasted until the Japanese invasion; as much as De Gaulle for atrocities committed in Algeria and Indo-China after the war; as much as the successive American presidents for the wars in Vietnam, Cambodia and the atrocities in Latin America that could take place because of US policies and perhaps for the unjustified war against Iraq. I am sure the list could be longer.

Rating:
Summary: A Valuable but Flawed Book
Review: Other reviewers have already lauded Bix's content, and I agree with much of what they say. Therefore, this review will focus on the book's organization and presentation.

Unless you have a firm and detailed grasp of pre-war Japanese politics, this book is a difficult read. Tidbits of background are dispersed throughout the book, not necessarily in chronological order. Weaving those threads into a coherent picture is quite a chore.

Bix generally follows chronological order. However, he sometimes gives a summary of events and then returns to examine them in detail. In the absence of any notice from Bix that he is doing so, confusion is the inevitable result.

Characters are poorly handled. Individuals introduced in tangential discussions are often mentioned without reintroduction tens of pages later. One is left to consult the index, which itself is riddled with omissions and mistakes.

Much to the detriment of readability and scholarship, endnotes have lately replaced footnotes. This may be acceptable where footnotes are used solely for references and citations. However, like many authors, Bix uses footnotes as a substitute for parentheses. Where footnotes remain footnotes, this is not a bad idea. But where they are relegated to the back of the book, they are a major affront to readability.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of Japan, Not Much Personal Detail about Hirohito
Review: The title of this book says it all. Just be aware that personal details of Hirohito's life are not what this book is about. It is about the public Hirohito and the "Making of Modern Japan". I found that a bit of a disappointment, but apparently the Japanese protect the private life of their titular rulers--even now.

What makes this book significant is that it details Hirohito's total involvement with decisions made in his name during the Second World War. The fiction that he, well, was "just the emperor and didn't make policy" is exposed for a lie.

Why wasn't Hirohito tried as a war criminal? Well, MacArthur thought he was worth more alive than dead. Many of the military men who served him and carried out his orders, however, either committed suicide or were tried as war criminals. History just isn't fair, is it?

This book was an eye opener for me as I do not know much about Japanese history (as opposed to Europe or the US). It made me want to know more. It is not an easy read, but go fer it!

Rating:
Summary: Large investment, small return
Review: This book presents problems on multiple levels. First, Bix's style makes for extremely dry reading. He has the uncanny ability to take exciting events and make them dull. However, this is compensated for by a very high information density level. In short, Bix does not waste words.

Second, he frequently makes statements that do not seem to follow from the facts disclosed to that point. Early in the book, he begins claiming that events he describes prove that Hirohito is directing events and driving toward war. I was forced to conclude that he must have left something out, because I could not draw the same conclusions from his descriptions. As the book progressed, however, I must admit that Bix made a seemingly compelling case against Hirohito.

In the last chapter, however, Bix makes a couple of curious comments: "Sato fully supported the American aggression against Viet Nam," and "Reagan and his advisers immediately rekindled the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union and inaugurated an aggressive policy of imperial interventions." Regardless of one's politics, most would admit that these are politically motivated characterizations. This leads to the third, and most difficult, problem with the book. I am not familiar with Japanese politics in the 20's and 30's. However, if Bix makes politically motivated characterizations about events with which I am familiar, isn't it probable that he is doing the same thing about events with which I am not familiar? In short, the last chapter forces us to take the entire book with "a grain of salt."

Rating:
Summary: Traps for the unwary
Review: The author of this book, Herbert P. Bix, is an American who has long taught in Japan. I know him only by reputation, but his reputation doesn't inspire me to much confidence in his work. He is known as an adherent of the neo-Marxist historiography that continues to have a vogue in Japanese academic circles. To me, his book seems to show its stamp quite clearly.

Here are a few quotes from reviews in respected journals (rather than the advertising-influenced popular press) by people with strong reputations as scholars of modern Japanese history:

"Superbly written, meticulously researched, and vigorously advertised.... Other historians, examining more or less the same material, reached different conclusions. ... All the rescripts, edicts, and declarations of the emperor, which Bix quotes extensively and to which he attaches great importance, were composed by the cabinet or other government organs. All the appointments he 'made' had been decided in advance by others and 'humbly submitted' to him for approval. All the military orders he 'issued' had been formulated by the armed forces and presented to him for signature. On some occasions his personal views were taken into consideration, but except for August 1945, he was never expected to make a major decision. ... The author accepts the evidence that fits his theory, but discards that which contradicts it. He believes Konoe that Hirohito endorsed the views of the military, but does not believe him that the emperor wished to avoid war (pp. 419-20). He believes Hirohito's admission, in the Monologue, that one of his motives for ending the war was to preserve the dynasty, but does not believe hint that his main motive was to save the people (p. 515 ) . When evidence is lacking, innuendo is used." -- Ben-Ami Shillony, _Journal of Japanese Studies_, 28,1 (Winter 2002): 141-146.

"Herbert Bix's book is a welcome contribution whether or not one agrees with his interpretations. ... Nor does he cite authors ... whose interpretations, based on documentary evidence that Bix ignores, differ from his own. ... Bix exaggerates Hirohito's importance. His own narrative account is at odds with his emphasis on Hirohito as the key decision maker because it shows the great extent to which the emperor was constrained by the bureaucratic monarchy within which he operated." -- Stephen S. Large, _Monumenta Nipponica_, 56, 1 (Spring 2001): 107-110.

"Bix is amply justified in accentuating Hirohito's active enthusiasm and engagement as supreme commander and in identifying his continued belligerence as a significant source of pressure on Japanese generals and admirals. But Bix clearly overstates the degree to which the emperor was able to initiate or precipitate changes in national policy.... His ambitious claims ... depend upon a very liberal reading of evidence that comes almost entirely from second-hand accounts.... The degree to which Bix recklessly outpaces his sources can perhaps best be summed up by the juxtaposition of a candid admission with a bold declaration. Without further elaboration, he proclaims, 'Though no documents directly tie him to it, another feature of the brutal China war for which Hirohito should be charged with personal responsibility was the strategic bombing of Chungking and other cities.' ... Bix's daring in argument is also, unfortunately, reflected in the mechanics of this book. Mistransliterations abound here, and footnotes supporting controversial statements of fact or interpretation often point simply to other secondary sources." -- Frederick R. Dickinson, _Orbis_, 45, 4 (Fall 2001): 637-647.

(Some will criticize me, in turn, for not citing the much more favorable reviews of Marxist historians; I will leave that to others.)

These are only very brief snippets from much longer and deeper reviews, but as they suggest the general picture is of a book that has definite merits but which must be read carefully and knowledgably. If you are already quite familiar with Japan's history in the Taisho and Showa periods (so that you can tell where Bix omits or distorts important facts that are inconvenient for his argument) and want a fuller picture of Hirohito (and particularly of his early life) then the book will prove valuable. But if you are looking for a good introduction to the period and its issues, or to the emperor himself, look further.

The role of Hirohito in Japan's history as its Showa Emperor was a largely inglorious one, especially up to August of 1945. But to put the blame for Japan's ruinous course to and through World War II so squarely on his slight shoulders, as Bix does, not only distorts history but serves as a smokescreen to conceal its lessons for today. We have buried Hirohito, but the forces that propelled Japan into an awful and catastrophic war continue to stalk our world today. If we are deceived by the casuistry of Herbert Bix and his ilk, they will roam free to spawn new generations of demons.

Will O'Neil

Rating:
Summary: Hirohito exposed--at last
Review: My highest praise for this fine evaluation of the "real" Hirohito and his direct role in the Japanese aggression against China, Korea, and the United States in WWII. Far from the benevolent peacemaker he and revisionist historians created (with the help of all-too-willing U.S diplomats, military men, and liberal contemporary historians), Bix uses primary material from Hirohito's inner circle to define the hypocrisy of an emperor who proclaimed until his dying day to be most interested in his beloved people while allowing them to be bombed nearly into extinction as he lobbied for his own survival and retention of power. Bix makes a convincing case for Hirohito as a true war criminal who should have shared Tojo's fate.
One minor error in the book--Bix repeats the stubborn and incorrect rumor that the famous flag raising photograph on Iwo Jima was "partly falsified." It was not. See Bradley's book, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent tour de force
Review: An excellent book that explains that Hirohito was centrally involved in WW2 and culpable...that he was protected by McArthur at the end of WW2 for political and realpolitik reasons. My major gripe was that the book has a very western flavour with, in my view, too little explanation of the peculiarities of Japanese culture that make their history and behaviour more comprehensible.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Reading
Review: The story develops slowly. Much backgrund info is given but then as WWII begins to develop, the book reads so fast...you almost want it to slow back down.