Pan-Asianism and Japan's War 1931-1945

The book explores the critical importance of Pan-Asianism in Japanese imperialism. Pan-Asianism was a cultural as well as political ideology that promoted Asian unity and recognition. The focus is on Pan-Asianism as a propeller behind Japan's expansionist policies from the Manchurian Incident until the end of the Pacific War.

'The most comprehensive treatment of this topic in English . . . This book should be essential reading for both undergraduate and graduate level courses on international affairs and Asian politics, as well as histories of imperialism and colonization.' - American Historical Review

'Hotta extensively documents the continuing presence of Pan-Asianism in Japan's policy making. This, by taking up the challenge of accounting for the ideological aspect of Japan's war, the book offers a new insight into an often fragmented history of Japan's Fifteen Years' War.' - The Journal of Asian Studies

'Richly nuanced . . . Hotta has presented a study that grants Pan-Asianism a breadth that has not been discovered to date . . . Transnational comparisons with pan-Slavic and pan-Islamic movements lead to a multifaceted approach.' -Geschichte.Transnational

'Pan-Asianism in the wartime Japanese empire is often dismissed as pure opportunism, a cynical hoax designed to justify the conquest of Asia. Hotta's original, superbly researched study demonstrates instead the profound historical roots of Japanese Pan-Asianism. This ideology significantly shaped Japanese leaders' decisions to wage war against China and the Anglo-American powers, overpowering the more realistic assessments of some strategists. The book stands as a major contribution to the literature on Japanese history and international relations.' - Sheldon Garon, author of Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life

'This book provides a comprehensive and richly-detailed exposition of the ideology at the core of Japan's foreign policy from 1931 - 1945, Pan-Asianism...Hotta not only provides an enlightening study of a relatively neglected aspect of Japan's war in Asia, but also sheds light more generally on the importance of ideational factors in international politics. She does so in a masterful and highly readable way.' - Caroline Rose, Asian Affairs

ERI HOTTA taught at Oxford University, UK from 2001-2005.