それでも日本人は戦争を選んだ

by 加藤陽子

膨大な犠牲と反省を残しながら、明治以来、四つの対外戦争を戦った日本。指導者、軍人、官僚、そして一般市民はそれぞれに国家の未来を思い、なお参戦やむなしの判断を下した。その論理を支えたものは何だったのか。鋭い質疑応答と縦横無尽に繰り出す史料が行き交う中高生への5日間の集中講義を通して、過去の戦争を現実の緊張感のなかで生き、考える日本近現代史。小林秀雄賞受賞。

497 pages, Paperback

Published June 26, 2016

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Kato has put together a brilliant little book on modern Japanese history. This book grows out of her lectures at Tokyo University. She surveys the actions of the Japanese Meiji modernizers, their interaction with foreign governments, the development of political parties, and how Japanese politics initially succeeded, and then later failed, in addressing the needs of the Japanese people (in particular, the half that were farmers), and how these needs were taken over by the Army as talking points, but which also ultimately, ignored them.

She calls on research from America and China as well as Japan, and provides insightful looks into the views of Japanese, Chinese, British and American diplomats, politicians, and military personages, as she carefully documents the steps that led Japan into an incredibly stupid war.