Translated from the Japanese. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Defeating China -- towards a 'small Empire' -- Demanding a constitutional system of government -- The Imo (Jingo) and Kapsin (Koshin) incidents : 'Empire' once again -- The Sino-Japanese War : the birth of 'Empire' and the continuation of 'Constitution' -- Strong army and war weariness : Empire and Constitution before the Russo-Japanese War -- From the Russo-Japanese War to the First World War : struggle between 'Empire' and 'Constitution' -- From the Taisho political change to the Siemens affair : stagnation of 'Empire' and surge of 'Constitution' -- The twenty-one demands to China : 'Constitution domestically, 'Empire' domestically -- What happened between the two world wars? -- Three episodes between the two world wars -- Conclusion. Irresponsible 'Empire' without Constitution'.
Summary:
"Since the beginning of the Meiji period when Japan evolved into a modern and powerful nation-state, ideas of empire and constitution imbued Japanese rule and progress. In Empire and Constitution in Modern Japan, Junji Banno expertly analyses how these conflicting concepts operated together in Japan from the 1868 until 1937. By 'empire', Banno means the Japanese impetus to create its own empire; by 'constitution', he identifies Japanese efforts to create a constitutional government. In this book, Banno discusses the complicated relationship between these two concepts, ranging from incompatibility in some periods to symbiosis in others. Furthermore, understanding the complex and competing nature of these ideals, he persuasively reasons, is key to our understanding of why Japan and China went to war in 1937, leading to Pearl Harbor just four years later. Translated by eminent scholar Arthur Stockwin, this book is the first accessible English-language account of Banno's life works. It provides an engaging survey of imperialism and constitutionalism in modern Japan, which will be of vital importance to all scholars of modern Japanese history"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.