Japan World History

Harold Guard became a war correspondent quite by chance, after he had been invalided out of the navy following a submarine accident. Thereafter, working for United Press, he gained a front row seat to many of the most dramatic battles and events of the century. In March 1942 Guard arrived in Australia, having narrowly escaped from Japanese forces invading Singapore and Java. His dispatches from that disastrous front prompted one observer to comment on “the crisis days when everybody except Harold Guard was trying to hush up the real situation.”

September 1942 marked the high point of Axis conquest in World War II. In the Pacific, Japan's soldiers had seemed unstoppable. However, the tide was about to turn. On Sunday, 6 September 1942, Japanese land forces suffered their first conclusive defeat at the hands of the Allies. At Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, a predominantly Australian force - including 75 Squadron (fresh from their action in 44 Days) - fought for two weeks to successfully defend a vital airstrip against a determined Japanese invasion.

In May 1942, Admiral Jack Fletcher's Task Force 17 closed in for the war's first major clash with the Japanese Navy. The Neosho, a vitally important tanker, was escorted by a destroyer, the Sims. The ships were attacked by Japanese dive bombers, and when the smoke cleared, the Sims had slipped beneath the waves. Scores of sailors were killed or wounded while hundreds bobbed in shark-infested waters.

In this concise account of why America used atomic bombs against Japan in 1945, J. Samuel Walker analyzes the reasons behind President Truman's most controversial decision. Delineating what was known and not known by American leaders at the time, Walker evaluates the options available for ending the war with Japan. In this new edition, Walker incorporates a decade of new research - mostly from Japanese archives only recently made available - that provides fresh insight on the strategic considerations that led to dropping the bomb.

The story of Japanese involvement in WWII is one that includes a number of amazing events between 1939 and 1945. The Japanese went from fighting against the Chinese to attempting to practically take on the entire world at the same time.

In the late hours of 15th May 1945, the radar operator aboard the destroyer Venus identified a spot of light on his screen. Captain Power was in no doubt that this was the heavy cruiser, Haguro, that they had been searching for, but how could he stop this formidable enemy ship as it steamed hard for Singapore? A trap of torpedo and naval artillery was set by the 26th Destroyer Flotilla, there was no escape for the Haguro.

The Rising Sun is a blistering Trojan Horse of historical truth—a deep dive into one of the most brutal, myth-fueled empires of the 20th century. Japan’s path to power wasn’t just built on military strategy; it was forged in ritual, propaganda, and a spiritualized obsession with death before dishonor.

In this scholarly study, Charles Stephenson describes the political, diplomatic, and military build-up to the Soviet offensive and its decisive outcome. He also considers to what extent Japan's capitulation is attributable to the atomic bomb or the stunningly successful entry of the Soviet Union into the conflict.

The Battle of Okinawa was the deadliest campaign of the Pacific during World War II. The Americans had come back from the demoralizing defeat at Pearl Harbor to mount a ferocious attack against the Japanese. To be able to invade Japan, the Americans had to take Okinawa. But the Japanese, determined to defend their homeland and preserve their way of life, would fight to the death against the invaders. As the Army and Marines fought bloody battles to gain Okinawa inch by inch, the Navy was subjected to kamikaze attacks.

The War Crimes Trials for World War II: The History and Legacy of Nazi Germany and Japan’s War Crimes Trials After the War chronicles the history of the trials from their conception to their completion. You will learn about the trials like never before.

In Jараnеѕе mythology, before thе fоrmаtiоn оf thе world, thеrе wаѕ a jelly-like and fоrmlеѕѕ mаѕѕ аnd at thаt time the vеrу first gеnеrаtiоn of the dеitiеѕ саmе intо bеing аt thе high plain of heaven, nаmеd Tаkаmаgаhаrа.Thе firѕt thrее рrimаl kаmi (gоdѕ) who came intо bеing wеrе Amеnоminаkаnuѕhi, Takamimusubi, аnd Kаmimuѕubi.

Since the beginning of civilization, crime and injustice has existed. At the same time, gangs in all shapes and sizes have been around, from rebels, dissidents, and rogue soldiers to the average circle of miscreants loitering in alleys and behind convenience stores. In Japan, a gang of a different breed would arise - one underscored by honor, respect, family, and a code of ethics. They are the Yakuza. The Yakuza claim to be the Robin Hoods of the Far East. While they may lean towards the other side of the law, justice is all they truly aim for.

Approximately 200,000 women and girls were forced into sexual slavery during World War 2. They were also known as comfort women, a translation of Ianfu(慰安婦), the Japanese term for "comforting, consoling woman." Although most of the women came from Korea, women from other occupied regions such as Burma, China, Philippines, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaya, Manchukuo, Taiwan, New Guinea, Portuguese Timor, and the Dutch East Indies were also taken into the military sexual slavery.

After a series of conflicts among feudal lords, the new city of Edo became and remained Japan's beating heart, and in the 17th century Edo gave birth to a vibrant, new urban culture marked by woodblock prints, the kabuki theater, and haiku poetry. By the 18th century, with its ranks swelled thanks to a flood of provincial daimyo, along with their households, clients, and retainers, Edo had become the most populous urban area in the world, a title Tokyo still can lay claim to today.

It is the last days of World War II. For Atomo and his grandparents, life continues as war with the United States moves forward another day, and then, it happened. The Japanese sky flashed bright, and day turned to night. Dead, from the mushroom cloud that leveled the land, Atomo finds himself wandering familiar streets searching for the reason the world around him ages while he remains but a young boy. Seeking answers, he turns to the only companion he has, the mystical three-legged crow of legend, Yatagarasu, who circles overhead giving guidance in the form of a riddle.

2012年NHK大河ドラマの主人公「平清盛」とは、実際はどのような人物だったのでしょうか。「平家物語」から平清盛にまつわる部分を厳選して朗読、わかりやすい解説を加えました。「平家物語」の世界観とともに、物語が描くリアルな清盛像を味わってください。朗読:加賀美幸子、解説:櫻井陽子、CD集『聞いて味わう「平家物語」の世界』(発行:NHKサービスセンター)より「平清盛その1~3」をオーディオブック化。

2013年NHK大河ドラマ「八重の桜」のヒロイン・新島八重と、その兄・山本覚馬の、波乱に満ちた生涯と絆を描いた作品。戊辰戦争の際、会津・鶴ヶ城で自ら銃を持って戦った女性、八重。のちに、アメリカ帰りで同志社創立に奔走していた新島襄と出会い、結婚します。そんな八重に大きな影響を与えたのが、17歳離れた兄の覚馬です。覚馬は、京都で薩摩藩に捕らえられながらも、「世界の中の日本」を見据えた獄中からの建白書で、西郷隆盛らに高く評価された人物。明治という激動の時代に、会津魂を胸に力強く生きた兄妹の絆、八重と襄の夫婦の絆、そして、理想に向かって邁進する姿が心を打ちます。早乙女貢作「明治の兄妹 新島八重と山本覚馬」(新人物往来社)を再構成してオーディオブック化しました。

The Japanese Tea Ceremony and the Shoguns is a concise historical overview of the evolution of cha-no-yu - that uniquely Japanese ritual, the tea ceremony - and how it was used in Japan by the shoguns and other political powers between the 12th and 20th centuries to validate position and consolidate power. The contributions of leading tea masters of the past are summarized. A description of a typical tea ceremony is provided, together with a discussion of the appropriate environment and utensils.

The powerful forces of the United States Navy (USN), Marine Corps, and Army advanced inexorably against Imperial Japan in 1944. Following massive interdiction of Japanese merchant shipping by American submarines and multiple naval victories, the Americans stood poised to liberate the Philippines, then move on to locations closer to the Japanese home islands.

Looking behind his plane, first class airman Shigenori Nishikaichi sees his Japanese Zero fighter plane has a bullet hole in the gas tank. As gasoline pours from his aircraft fresh off the second wave of attacks on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941, he realizes he must crash land to avoid falling into the ocean. Shigenori desperately guides his fighter plane to the designated crash landing spot on the island of Niihau, which is believed to be uninhabited. He is knocked unconscious landing on the forbidden island.