Japan and Imperialism, 1853-1945

Key Issues in Asian Studies

by James L. Huffman

Revised and Expanded Second Edition. This lively narrative tells the story of Japan’s experience with imperialism and colonialism, looking first at Japan’s responses to Western threats in the nineteenth century, then at Japan’s activities as Asia’s only imperialist power. Using a series of human vignettes as lenses, Japan and Imperialism examines the motivations―strategic, nationalist, economic―that led to imperial expansion and the impact expansion had on both national policies and personal lives. The work demonstrates that Japanese imperial policies fit fully into the era’s worldwide imperialist framework, even as they displayed certain distinctive traits. Japanese expansive actions, the booklet argues, were inspired by concrete historical contingencies rather than by some national propensity or overarching design.

Genres: History, Japan, Japanese History

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Perry]

A concise overview of the turblent century in which Japan built an empire and lost it thereafter. Concerned mostly with the development of imperialism specifically, the book doesn't have much time to focus on colonialism or World War II. Very practical read.

[Joe Von]

Brief, but a nice intro to the topic.

[Traben]

This is another book that, while well written, has as its major focus an era of Japanese history I'm not particularly interested in. Though, as I didn't know much about Japan during this period, it was quite informative. If your interested in imperialist Japan, the Meiji Era, or the lead up to WWII from the Japanese perspective, this book provides a concise overview that's easy to read and well organized.