Yoshida Shigeru

by Shigeru, Yoshida; Nara, Hiroshi; Ken'ichi, Yoshida; Nara, Hiroshi

• ISBN13: 9780742539327
• ISBN10: 0742539326
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-02-28
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

One of Japan's best-known prime ministers, Yoshida Shigeru witnessed history in the making. His tenure during the tumultuous years in the first half of the 20th century laid the foundation for Japan's reentry into world economy and politics. This book is the most complete autobiography of Yoshida Shigeru available in English, including Yoshida's lengthy service in China, his travel abroad as a member of Japan's mission to conclude World War I, the interwar years spent as a high-rank diplomat to Europe, and his role in the days leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack. It also includes his take on Japan's post-WWII years, whether it is his recollections of General McArthur, his chronicle of postwar economic woes, or his role in forming the new constitution and guaranteeing Japan's sovereignty.

Author Biography

Hiroshi Nara is professor and chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh

Table of Contents

Foreword to the New Edition	p. ix
Editor's Note	p. xv
Preface to the Original Edition	p. xvii
Acknowledgments	p. xix
The Yoshida Memoirs: The Story of Japan in Crisis
The Unfolding Tragedy	p. 3
The Crisis Breaks	p. 13
Aftermath of Defeat	p. 27
Blueprint for an Occupation	p. 37
General MacArthur and His Aides	p. 41
My Political Apprenticeship	p. 51
The "Yoshida Era" Begins	p. 58
My First Cabinet	p. 65
In Opposition-and an Election Victory	p. 70
The Last Three Yoshida Cabinets	p. 75
The West Revisited	p. 83
Old Friends in Britain and the United States	p. 96
The Postwar Constitution	p. 104
Critics of the New Constitution	p. 117
The Purges	p. 120
Educational Reform	p. 136
Police Reform	p. 144
The Self-Defense Force	p. 149
Agricultural Reform	p. 160
The Postwar Food Crisis	p. 167
Labor Reforms and After	p. 172
My Views on Japan's Labor Movement	p. 181
The Communists as a Destructive Force	p. 188
The San Francisco Peace Treaty	p. 197
Preparatory Negotiations for Peace	p. 202
The San Francisco Peace Conference	p. 206
The Territorial Question	p. 211
The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty	p. 213
The Administrative Agreement	p. 218
Postscript	p. 224
New Translation
Korean War, Peace, and Independence	p. 239
My View on the Imperial Household	p. 246
Recollections of My Days as a Diplomat	p. 257
Recollections of Friends	p. 272
Glossary	p. 294
Index	p. 298
About the Editor	p. 313
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