Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army

by Meirion Harries

Soldiers of the Sun traces the origins of the Imperial Japanese Army back to its samurai roots in the nineteenth century to tell the story of the rise and fall of this extraordinary military force.

Meirion and Susie Harries have written the first full Western account of the Imperial Japanese Army. Drawing on Japanese, English, French, and American sources, the authors penetrate the lingering wartime enmity and propaganda to lay bare the true character of the Imperial Army.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History, War, Japanese History

604 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than a general interest in WWII I've been trying to get my head around how it was that the Japanese were so fanatical up through the war and so docile under occupation. This book, tracing the history of the Japanese military from the Meiji reforms to the present, but focused on the thirties and forties, serves in this regard.

What I hadn't known was how insulated the Japanese military and its culture were. Beyond that, the culture as a whole was very hierarchical (and sexist and racist). Authority devolved from the emperor, but the emperor was himself insulated by his cabinet and advisors who increasingly represented the two competing branches of the armed forces, the army and the navy.

The text ends with a consideration of the war crimes committed by the Japanese military and the evolution of the post-war Self-defense Forces.

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine one volume account of the Imperial Japanese Army. The book covers its creation in 1868 until its final defeat in 1945. If you want to know why the Japanese Army could accomplish the things it did and why the Japanese soldier could do the brutal things that he did this book goes a long way to help you understand. At the same time it provides a insight into the dealings between the Army and the Navy, the Army and the Politicians and the Army and the people. A well researched and very interesting book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just a history of the Imperial Japanese Army in WWII, it's a complete history of the IJA going back to its origins in the mid-19th Century during the Meiji Restoration.

It attempts to cover a great deal of ground, and does so adequately. Covering the raw events, as well as trying to explain such things as how an army noted for its humanitarian treatment of POWs in WWI could go on to commit major atrocities in WWII.

It also describes how the IJA effectively crushed popular democracy movements in the name of national defense. Something that many Americans don't realize, as they think that the US introduced democracy to the country following WWII.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A loss of one star due to numerous factual errors.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meirion and Susie Harries' Soldiers of the Sun offers a good, one-volume narrative history of the Japanese Army from the Meiji Restoration through World War II, with particular focus on the latter period. The Harries demonstrate how post-Restoration Japan drew on a culture of divided loyalties (to warlords, shoguns and Emperor in varying degrees) and attempted to inculcate their military into combining them - a particular challenge since Meiji's constitution allowed the Army a great deal of independence, unaccountable to anyone but the Emperor (and sometimes not even him). Nonetheless, the IJA performed well in its early contests against China and Russia, conquered Taiwan and Korea and played a small but dramatic role in the First World War, helping Japan rise to world power status. But its expansion caused suspicion and weariness from the Western powers, who viewed the burgeoning Asian Empire as a threat to their own interests. This in turn led to a fraying of international relations, mutual hostility and resentment, and the Japanese seeking their place in the Rising Sun through violent expansion in China, political repression at home and increasing belligerence towards its Western rivals. By 1941, their once-respected army degenerated into a barbarous force capable of unknown of cruelties: the Rape of Nanjing, the Bataan Death March and countless other cruelties besmirched the IJA's name, even as its soldiers fought with fanatical courage in a thousand engagements across the Pacific.

All of this is well-trod ground, but the Harries manage a refreshingly balanced perspective. Unlike John Toland's The Rising Sun (which virtually apologizes for Hirohito's imperialism) or Robert Edgerton's Warriors of the Rising Sun (which overstresses the "chivalry" of the pre-WWII Army), they aren't interested in rehabilitating the IJA, whose atrocities speak for themselves. The book demonstrates the Japanese committing brutalities in their colonial expansion long before the 1930s, showing that their behavior in the Pacific War wasn't a shocking descent into barbarism. (They don't consider, as Edgerton does, how much this drew from similar brutality of England, France and other Empires in their conquests.) But it also takes a nuanced look at the IJA's culture, with brutal training and indoctrination stressing contradictory virtues of loyalty and sacrifice, but also independent-mindedness. Military buffs will appreciate the analysis of IJA tactics and weaponry, balancing their strengths (adaptability and tactical innovation) and weaknesses (overstretched supply lines, over-reliance on offensive tactics that made them ill-suited to resist Allied counterattacks) as a fighting force. The book also incorporates a great deal of first-hand testimony from Japanese infantrymen, granting a human face to the soldiers who were brave in battle, often brutal outside of it, but possessed the same fears, frustrations and disillusionment with their leaders as soldiers anywhere. This perspective is valuable, and the Harries manage to thread the needle of understanding their behavior without downplaying or condoning their crimes. The result is a good, sturdy history of the Japanese Army and its decidedly checkered record.

[Harry Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book, though missing some things. Despite the length, it doesn't lay out the actual structure of IJA strategy in the Pacific War as thoroughly and completely as I would have liked. Perhaps this is due to lack of documentation as compared to the US or German militaries of the period. But a very good book overall.

[Austin Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

an awesome read if you're interested in getting to know the people behind the Imperial Army and its role in shaping Japanese History.

[Bill V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read that deals quite exclusively with the Japanese Army, from its origins to later development. Most books about the Japanese military tend to deal heavily with the navy, especially since it was the navy that was the driving force behind expanding the war into the Pacific.
The book does a good job in describing its influences and how it looked to western tactics, weapons and doctrine. It also describes its evolving relationships with the west and how their relationship progressed from a professorial-pupil nature to a competitive one once Japan began to seek territorial acquisitions of its own from China and the Pacific during World War I to ultimately an adversarial one as combatants in the Second World War.”

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book showing the rise and fall of the Japan, just as the title implies. This book illustrates the fanaticism and dogged determination of the Japanese, and their inability to adapt during battle. Japanese military leaders on the ground would often give overly optimistic, or even completely untrue appraisals of the situation on the ground in the fear of failing the emperor and their superiors.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of the origins of the Imperial Army up to and including WWII in an attempt to understand their actions of barbaric proportions before and during the war. Excellent research and presentation.

[Madelyn]

I will not finish this. Gave it to my brother.

[Howard]

8

[Matt Demo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atrocities aside, it is amazing how quickly and effectively Japan became a modern power able to challenge the US in WWII.