Imperial Japan – The Diplomat

Admiral Yamamoto’s Practice for Pearl Harbor: Truth and Fiction

Ronald Drabkin — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 06:08:00 +0900

Ahead of the surprise attack, Japanese pilots openly practiced torpedo bombing above a major Japanese city. How did it go unnoticed?

The Common Thread Between a Chinese Collaborator and the Chinese Communist Party

Bonnie Girard — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 02:45:00 +0900

Sun Yat-sen, the father of China’s 1911 revolution, has inspired opposite impulses among those who claim his legacy.

When Japan Waged a Currency War Against China

Robert Farley — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 01:31:00 +0900

The WW2-era effort by Imperial Japan to disrupt China’s financial system is worth remembering today.

The Real Story of the Destruction of Force Z

Robert Farley — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 23:24:00 +0900

Even more than Pearl Harbor, the sinking of the two British battleships served to convince political and naval authorities of the pre-eminence of airpower in the Pacific.

70 Years Later, Families of Koreans Forced Into Labor Are Desperate for Answers

Associated Press — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 23:37:00 +0900

Thousands of conscripted Korean men vanished on Sakhalin Island, victims of first Japan’s brutal rule and then the harsh geopolitics of the Cold War.

Rethinking the Technological Story of the Pacific Theater of the Second World War

Robert Farley — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 09:42:00 +0900

Just how central was the battleship to naval operations during the Second World War?

Were ‘Comfort Women’ Forced to Fight for the Imperial Japanese Army?

Cristian Martini Grimaldi — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 01:47:00 +0900

Eyewitnesses remember women among the soldiers during the battle of Kohima -- something no history book recounts.

Remembering Japan’s Colonial Abuses Against Koreans on Hashima Island

Yuji Hosaka — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:21:00 +0900

Despite the claims of a former resident of the island, Japanese abuses against Koreans were widespread.

Were Tankers the Key to Imperial Japan’s Early Wartime Success?

Robert Farley — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 04:13:00 +0900

Japan had come to appreciate the value of at-sea replenishment for its navy early on.

Echoes of United Fruit in Japan-Korea Trade Spat

Justin Fendos — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 21:20:00 +0900

Should companies be legally responsible for the working conditions of their foreign laborers in other countries?

Japan’s New Imperial Era Is Announced: ‘Hesei’ Ends, ‘Reiwa’ Begins

Ankit Panda — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 02:57:00 +0900

As an imperial transition nears, Japan announces the name of its new era.

Imperial Japan's Naval Contributions to the First World War

Robert Farley — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 23:42:00 +0900

What drove the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I?

Remembering USS Lexington's Story in the Pacific War

Robert Farley — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 12:05:00 +0900

USS Lexington has been found.

Lessons From How Western Intelligence Tracked Imperial Japan's Aviation Technology

Robert Farley — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 04:37:00 +0900

What can the United States learn from its underestimation of Japanese capabilities during the first half of the 20th century?

Imperial Japan's Southeast Asia Offensive in Retrospective

Robert Farley — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 09:34:00 +0900

Imperial Japan's Southeast Asia campaign is among the most successful series of military operations ever conducted.

The Most Dangerous Problem in Asia: China-Japan Relations

Kerry Brown — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 22:29:00 +0900

China and Japan have a thousand year history of fighting each other. What if that pattern repeats itself?

Japan’s Emperor Hints at Abdication in Televised Address

Franz-Stefan Gady — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 18:44:00 +0900

The ten-minute pre-recorded message was the second-ever televised address of the Emperor to the public.

International Law Won't Stop China in the South China Sea

Aurelia George Mulgan — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 22:43:00 +0900

Countering power with rules is doomed to fail in the South China Sea.

Japan's Emperor Wants to Abdicate, But That May Require Legal Reforms

Akhilesh Pillalamarri — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 00:34:00 +0900

Emperor Akihito might want to abdicate, but other factors might prevent his wishes from coming to fruition.

It's Time for an American Film Depicting the Chinese Theater of World War II

Robert Farley — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 05:47:00 +0900

Why has Hollywood shied away from films about Sino-U.S. cooperation during the Second World War?

What If Japan Had Won The Battle of Midway?

Benjamin David Baker — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 05:08:00 +0900

One of the most decisive battles of the Second World War could have ended up very differently. Be glad it didn’t though.

Why Did Imperial Japan Surrender on the USS Missouri?

Robert Farley — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 23:59:00 +0900

The choice of the USS Missouri was no accident.

4 Reasons Shinzo Abe Should Attend China’s WW2 Military Parade

Dingding Chen — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 11:23:00 +0900

After all considerations, the benefits are greater than costs. Shinzo Abe should seize this golden opportunity.

Remembering History’s Mightiest Warship

Prashanth Parameswaran — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 23:08:00 +0900

The brief look at the story behind the largest battleship ever constructed in naval history.

The CCP Didn’t Fight Imperial Japan; the KMT Did

Zachary Keck — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:41:00 +0900

While the KMT military defended China against Japan during WWII, the CCP built up strength for the civil war.

Resolving Asia's History Wars Once and for All

Zachary Keck — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 06:29:00 +0900

There's a painfully obvious solution to Asia’s history wars which no side even tries.

How Hiroshima and Nagasaki Saved Millions of Lives

Zachary Keck — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 13:47:00 +0900

By showing the world the horrors of nuclear warfare, the atomic bombings made future ones much less likely.

China’s Changing Position on Japan’s History

Zachary Keck — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 11:39:00 +0900

In recent years, China has significantly hardened its stance on Japan acknowledging its imperial past. Why?

S. Korean PM Nominee: Japan’s Occupation Was ‘God’s Will’

Zachary Keck — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:21:00 +0900

A leaked video shows Park's prime minister nominee saying that Japan's occupation and Korea's division were "God's will."

Strategy 101: Know Thy Enemy, Know Thy Self

James R. Holmes — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 07:08:00 +0900

Isoroku Yamamoto and Admiral Chester Nimitz's strategies were reciprocals of each other.

Germany Rebukes China’s Anti-Japan PR Campaign

Zachary Keck — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 06:31:00 +0900

Berlin strongly rebuffed Beijing’s efforts to use Germany’s wartime past to shame Japan during Xi’s trip to Germany.

US Asia Policy: Straight From the 1930s

Zachary Keck — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 03:05:00 +0900

U.S. policy to China today closely resembles the policy it pursed toward Japan… before Pearl Harbor

How Imperial Japan Shaped Modern China

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 08:51:58 +0900

A new book explores how Japan’s brutal occupation is still shaping Sino-Japanese relations.

Present at Creation: How I Pioneered Drone Warfare

Sat, 24 Aug 2013 05:50:38 +0900

Not targeting al-Qaeda to keep its ranks thin is like not battling Japan for fear of creating kamikaze pilots.

Never Say Never: What if Egypt Did Close the Suez Canal?

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:54:00 +0900

The economic and military effects of the Suez’s closure would reverberate throughout Asia and the West.

How Pearl Harbor Shaped US Submarine Doctrine

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 20:19:25 +0900

US subs were used defensively before Pearl Harbor, which transformed them into an offensive, decentralized force.

Five Things Japan Could Have Done to Beat America

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:48:00 +0900

Could Japan have followed a different path during World War II and defeated America?