japansociety Japan Book Review Japan-UK Reviews Volume 2 No. 5 October 2007 Issue No. 11 Editor: Sean Curtin Contents Managing Editor: Clare Barclay (1) Hirohito: The Showa Emperor in War and Peace long with our usual great selection of new book reviews in this issue (2) "Koizumi no Shori, Media no we offer our first proper film review of the award-winning and Haiboku" (Victory for Koizumi, Ahighly popular movie Hula Girls. We now hope to start regular Defeat for the Media reviews of major Japanese films and DVD releases to complement our book (3) Britain and Japan: Biographical line-up. You will also find a preview of the thought-provoking debut novel Under the Sun along with our main features and Japanese language book Portraits, volume VI reviews. Finally, please keep on sending in your letters and comments about (4) The Japanese Housewife what you would like to see in Japan Book Review. Also please remember if Overseas there is a book or movie you would particularly like to make a comment about, (5) Long Nights Alone then either e-mail us ([email protected]) your thoughts or post them to (6) Reader's comments: Long us. We will put your comments up on the Reader's Comments section of the Nights Alone website and when possible publish some of them. (7) Hula Girls Sean Curtin (8) Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman New reviews: www.japansociety.org.uk/reviews.html (9) Warriors of Art: A Guide to Archive reviews: http://www.japansociety.org.uk/reviews_archive.html Contemporary Japanese Artists (10) Under the Sun (Preview) Japan Book Review Hirohito: The Showa Emperor in War and Peace, Ikuhiko Hata, edited by Marius B.Jansen, ISBN 978-1-905246-35-9, pages 272 including notes and index, Global Oriental, 2007. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi So much has been written about the Showa Emperor that some readers may ask whether there is anything more to be said about a man who would hardly have left much lasting impression if he had been born in any other walk of life. But Professor Ikuhiko Hata's book provides some interesting insights into the emperor's personality, as well as into aspects of modern Japanese history. Professor Ikuhiko Hata, professor emeritus of Nihon University, has delved deeply into the source material available in Japanese and English and has interviewed many of the participants in the events he describes. The results of his researches impressed the late Professor Marius Jansen, a doyen of Japanese historical studies in the USA, and we must be grateful to him and the publishers, Global Oriental, for bringing these fascinating studies to the attention of English speaking students of modern Japanese history. This is not a new biography of the Showa Emperor but a series of historical studies of events in which he was closely involved. The first essay deals with the japansociety Japan Book Review: October 2007 infamous ni-ni-roku (26 February 1936) incident when the "Koizumi no Shori, emperor's adamant refusal, following the murder of some of Media no Haiboku" his closest advisers, to countenance a "Showa Restoration" as demanded by the rebels, ensured that the mutiny was (Victory for Koizumi, crushed. But as Professor Hata puts it: "From the emperor's Defeat for the Media), perspective, the mountain had laboured and produced a mouse. Hegemony had merely passed from the hands of the by Takashi Uesugi, Imperial Way Faction into the hands of the Control Faction and its epigones and Japan would soon plunge headlong Soshisha, November 2006, 286 pages, down the path to destruction in the China and Pacific Wars." 1500 yen Hata's account fills in many details and gives a vivid picture of how the events must have seemed to those at the centre of Review by Fumiko Halloran the crisis. This is a rare book written by a journalist who criticizes the The second chapter goes over the events in the final days of faults not only of himself but the press in general in its the Pacific War and describes how the emperor was eventually reporting on the Koizumi government. He is courageous in induced to take the decision which led to Japan's surrender. It listing his original articles and examining them against what also depicts the reactions of the military and naval extremists actually happened, adding background around specific topics and the traitorous attempts to stop the emperor's broadcast. he covered. He found that most of his reporting on Prime Inevitably it leaves many questions unanswered. Why in Minster Koizumi either was not accurate or grossly particular did it take so long for intelligent men (and many of misinterpreted the reality of PM Koizumi's domestic and Japan's leaders were intelligent and realistic) to recognize that foreign policy. Japan was defeated. This should have been obvious at the latest by the end of 1944. Yet they adhered to the belief that Perhaps the most serious weakness in Mr. Uesugi's Japan's "polity" (a concept which non-Japanese find hard to reporting was that he did not cover domestic policy in detail, fathom) could only be preserved by fighting a last battle on particularly of the structural reforms on which PM Koizumi the mainland which could only lead to total destruction. Their risked his political life. Mr. Uesugi admits that he did not failure makes them guilty of the millions of deaths caused by extensively report on that because he did not fully understand the continuing war in the months from January to August the details of economic and financial policies at the time. 1945. The emperor seems to have recognized that Japan faced Instead, he focused on the political struggles that surrounded total defeat, but his personality was not strong enough to the structural reforms. Being a freelance reporter, perhaps he enable him to challenge the guilty men. We also have to ask could not cover all the topics but, as he admits, he and many how much he knew about the atrocities carried out overseas journalists were swept up in covering PM Koizumi's fights and if he did realize the facts why he apparently did not with his own party, his unexpected choices of key cabinet attempt to stop further acts of barbarity. ministers, and political drama such as firing of Ms. Makiko Tanaka as foreign minister. The Koizumi regime was never The third chapter reveals the extent to which in the final dull but presented dramatic characters and stories and was days of the war and the early days of the occupation attempts therefore nicknamed "The Koizumi Theatre." were made by Japanese extremists to ensure the survival of the imperial line. Many of the facts revealed here were new to Foreign press reported extensively on PM Koizumi's me. They confirm that the occupation authorities were right to foreign policy but stories on his domestic reforms and be wary of the former militarists. economic, fiscal, and financial problems drew only scant attention, except for publications such as the Economist The final chapters deal with the emperor's relations with magazine. (I thank the NBR staff for doing research on this General MacArthur and the possibility of the emperor point). abdicating, a step which the General regarded as unnecessary and undesirable. MacArthur and his advisers clearly saw the Mr. Uesugi's portrait of PM Koizumi when he was in office retention of the emperor as essential to the maintenance of is rather harsh, calling him an ultimate narcissist who focused internal peace in Japan. only on his own ideas, ruthlessly cut even close political allies if necessary, and pursued his goals relentlessly. The author, Hata also deals with the emperor's position in relating to perhaps correctly, points out that PM Koizumi's declaration of the International Military Tribunal's trial of class A war a general election when the Upper House defeated his bill for criminals. This section is relevant to recent revelations about privatizing the postal savings and insurance system damaged the emperor's criticism of the decision by the Yasukuni shrine the basic rules of the parliamentary system. Indeed, there was authorities to enshrine the souls of these criminals. a question why the prime minister could declare a general election when the Lower House had passed the legislation. 1000 Years of the Tale But it was within his jurisdiction. The only problem the press of Genji had was that most political reporters did not believe PM Koizumi would pull such a stunt as they were mired in the Yoshioka Sachio (Master textile traditional political games. When PM Koizumi declared an dyer and historian) at the election, the press was thrown into confusion and was forced “Recreating Genji's Palette” to follow the political frenzy rather than remain in control of symposium held at the Embassy of the reporting. PM Koizumi's LDP had a landslide victory. Mr. Japan, London on 7th November Uesugi saw the election in the summer of 2005 as an epitaph 2007 to mark 1000 years of the Tale of defeat for the press. of Genji. 2 japansociety Japan Book Review: October 2007 Mr. Uesugi concludes that journalists, particularly political flawed. As a member of a television station that can be editors and reporters, did not understand that PM Koizumi saddled with viewer ratings, sponsors, government and his team had succeeded in breaking down the traditional regulations, and tension between management and union, this relationship between the government and the press. reviewer wonders how far Mr. Uesugi can go toward that Traditionally, the Chief Cabinet Secretary made government goal.