Japan’s Military Masters

Book excerpt: THE REALISTIC FACTS ABOUT JAPAN’S CAPACITY—IN MANPOWER AND IN NATIONAL MORALE—TO FIGHT THE “HOLY WAR” HER MILITARY LEADERS HAVE SO LONG PLANNED FOR HER In Japanese Military Masters: The Army in Japanese Life, author Hillis Lory answers fundamental questions in satisfactory detail. He describes the life and though of the peasant, the motives and personalities of the men close to the Throne. He traces the evolution of Japanese government from feudalism to modern power politics. He records the assassinations, the rebellions, the secret societies, the coups d’état that have shaped it. He recalls the struggle between the liberal and the military leaders for control of Japan’s destiny. “Among the many books about Japan that have appeared since Pearl Harbor, this book is one of the few that could fairly be called indispensable for its high informational content. The author has learned about as much as any foreign could learn about the organization and psychology and training and general make-up of the Japanese Army. And he puts his material together in the style of a good military report, without padding and exaggeration.—The New York Times Book Review