Japan and Imperialism, 1853-1945 - (Key Issues in Asian Studies) by James L Huffman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Revised and Expanded Second Edition. This lively narrative tells the story of Japan's experience with imperialism and colonialism, looking first at Japan's responses to Western threats in the nineteenth century, then at Japan's activities as Asia's only imperialist power. Using a series of human vignettes as lenses, Japan and Imperialism examines the motivations--strategic, nationalist, economic--that led to imperial expansion and the impact expansion had on both national policies and personal lives. The work demonstrates that Japanese imperial policies fit fully into the era's worldwide imperialist framework, even as they displayed certain distinctive traits. Japanese expansive actions, the booklet argues, were inspired by concrete historical contingencies rather than by some national propensity or overarching design.

About the Author

JAMES L. HUFFMAN is H. Orth Hirt Professor of History Emeritus at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. A former journalist, he has taught East Asian history for forty years. Professor Huffman is the author of eight books on Japanese history, including Creating a Public: People and Press in Meiji Japan, Japan in World History, Modern Japan: A History in Documents, and the forthcoming Down and Out in Late-Meiji Japan, which examines the lives of slum dwellers in the 1890s and early 1900s. With his late wife Judith, he also has published translations of two Japanese children's books. Professor Huffman resides in Chicago and is the 2017 recipient of the Association for Asian Studies' Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies Award.