Questions About The Rising Sun: The Decline & Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-45

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Is this one of the better books about the Second World War? Never mind the Pacific theater. I would reckon so. This is an epic history of the War in the Pacific.

M.G. Davis Yes, but in an overview kind of way. If you're looking for the detailed strategies of each campaign along with an in-depth study of the critical battl…moreYes, but in an overview kind of way. If you're looking for the detailed strategies of each campaign along with an in-depth study of the critical battles, this hits at about 80%. There is a one-volume "War in the Pacific" history that is more in-depth on the campaigns, but if you're searching for a comprehensive study of the inner workings of the Imperial Japanese government along with a fantastic set of insights into the Imperial Japanese psyche and decision-making process, this is the book for you. It is a fantastic read. (less)

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It is a very embarrassing book for me. The author is too sympathetic to japan (because his wife is a Japanese?) and seems not to care about japan's brutality as like massacre of Nanjing and many other crimes during Japan's expansion. I think his motto The villain was the times(pp. 147) shows his view point of history. Can he say Hitler is not villain and villain is the times? Anyway, I did not recommend this book.

Leo This book may sometimes seem sympathetic to the Japanese because it's largely told from Japanese perspectives, and Japanese perspectives of the time w…moreThis book may sometimes seem sympathetic to the Japanese because it's largely told from Japanese perspectives, and Japanese perspectives of the time would naturally be sympathetic to their own actions.

Nevertheless, the author does chronicle much of Japanese brutality; sometimes in gruesome, horrific detail. However, since a significant portion of the book discusses the actions and debates of the upper echelons of authority in Japan (and far removed from the actual fighting), the cruelty of the Japanese in battle is simply not part of the story there.

And the author's excellent portrayal of the Japanese leaders' thoughts, actions, and general culture, shows that the war (with Japan, at least) was not a black and white battle of good versus evil, but a more complex struggle where both sides truly believed they were fighting a righteous war of liberation.

The author did not make light of Japanese atrocities. And just because the author felt that the Japanese were victims to the times, doesn't mean he felt the same about Nazi Germany. The nazis launched systematic mass murder aimed at anyone racially different than them; for the Japanese, which the author points out still had some medieval attitudes, the atrocities were part and parcel of how wars were fought. That doesn't excuse their actions, but if not for the times, the Japanese would never have fought the war. The Japanese felt forced to do battle, the same cannot be said of the nazis.

And I feel the need to point out again that it was told from the perspective of the Japanese. Such a book is bound to make readers feel more sympathy to the point of view they're seeing the story from than they would otherwise. That doesn't mean the intention of the book was to paint them in a better light.(less)

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