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Japanese Society at War

Death, Memory and the Russo-Japanese War

Naoko Shimazu author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:5th Mar '09

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Japanese Society at War cover

A social and cultural history of the impact of the Russo-Japanese War and its implications for modern Japan.

The Russo-Japanese War was the first international conflict of the twentieth century. Presenting fascinating insights into the attitudes of ordinary Japanese people towards the war, this innovative study sheds light on the social and political complexities of Japanese society during this period and the war's implications for modern Japan.As the first international conflict of the twentieth century, the Russo-Japanese War attracted much contemporary global interest. This text was the first full-length study to examine the war from the perspective of its impact on Japanese society, and sheds light on its implications for modern Japan. What did the war mean to the Japanese people and how did they respond to it? Naoko Shimazu presents a fascinating and highly innovative account of the attitudes of ordinary Japanese people towards the war through a wide range of sources including personal diaries, letters, and contemporary images. She deals with themes such as conscripts and battlefield death, war commemoration, heroic myths, and war in popular culture. Challenging the orthodox view of Meiji Japan as monolithic, she shows that there existed a complex and ambivalent relationship between the Japanese state and society.

Review of the hardback: '… a fascinating account of how war, government, and society interact.' Journal of Military History
Review of the hardback: '… a valuable contribution to the literature and should be read widely by all people interested in the period when Japan entered the twentieth century …' Reviews in History
Review of the hardback: '… anyone studying modern Japan and the workings of modern Japanese nationalism will find much to think about in Shimazu's thoughtful book. Above all, those with an interest in modern warfare and national identity formation should give this book a serious read …' The American Historical Review
'Shimazu … has produced an excellent book, full of fascinating insights, well-illustrated, and above all, one that makes the reader think about the many issues covered.'' Asian Affairs

ISBN: 9780521859349

Dimensions: 235mm x 160mm x 20mm

Weight: 710g

354 pages