The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945

Drawing on hundreds of interviews and source material, John Toland has achieved the impossible, to offer a most unique take on the Pacific War: dozens of people come to life in this history book, which more often than not, ends up being more reminiscent of a novel as it takes its reader diving headlong in a journey of palace intrigues, decision making and, ultimately, the carnage of war. The book kicks off with a brief introduction about the Manchurian adventure and the troubles that plagued Japan during the prewar years: the fight between the various cliques that composed japanese society and the struggle between the military and the civilian government. Soon, the Marco Polo Bridge incident takes place and carnage ensues. The invasion prompts the USA to tighten its embargo on Japan and the rest is known to most readers, ensuing in the turbulent (and fraughty) negotiations that climaxed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then, Toland covers each and every theater of war from 1941 all the way to 1945, mostly excluding those that took place in the asian mainland. It is worth noting that the title may be a tad misleading, for one would infer that the book covered several other aspects of Imperial Japan: from its society, to its economy, its administration and its military ventures in the mainland. But alas, it mostly covers the Pacific War, with all its island-hopping, sea battles and whatnot. One is hard-pressed to remember that there is actually fighting taking place somewhere else, for there is scant a chapter about them, mostly at the beginning - before the US' entry into the War - and at the very end, when Chiang Kai-Shek comes into play as the leader of one of the victorious nations. That being said, while I felt somewhat dismayed upon realising it, I still found the book absolutely enjoyable, albeit from a completely new perspective. It is a meticulous tale of the hardships and vicissitudes that plagued men and women, elderly and young, rich or bereft, powerful or otherwise during the war between Imperial Japan and the US, and in doing so is a masterpiece. Regarding the sources and material on which the author draws upon: most of it is source material, for Toland embarked on a long journey in order to interview all sorts of people: from Prince Mikasa, brother to Hirohito and former US President Harry Truman, to your rank and file japanese and american troops stationed in the Pacific and the civilians that had to endure the hardships of war. The bibliography on which the author relied to write the book, however, might be a bit dated, considering that almost half a century passed since the book saw the light. But it stills feel fresh, with all its vivid and engrossing accounts that, due to its sheer scope, none may equal anytime soon. Finally, Toland deserves praise for his excellent writing skills, for he managed to make what would have otherwise been a cumbersome task - to read about dozens of excruciatingly precise military data and geographical/topological information - a most enjoyable experience. The characters, the highlight of the book, come to life each with his or her own soul and motives, perfectly and captivatingly crafted , their soul forever captured by the author's masterful writing. It is truly a delight to read. Gripping stories, an abundance of information, a careful attention to detail and a marvelous prose makes reading The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanes Empire (1936-1945) a completely breathtaking experience, that will haunt you long after you are done with it.

This book on the US War in the Pacific has no rival. Written with understanding and clarity and documented throughout. It must be a classic among the histories written about major wars. The reader is given insight and understanding of the what’s, why’s and how’s of the war all written in flowing narrative. John Tolan, the author should receive special recognition for this in depth, well written history.

The book starts with events that preceded the attack on Pearl Harbor and then continues on until the start of the post-war occupation of Japan. That’s a lot of material -- and since many events are covered from both the US and Japanese perspectives, that amount of material is essentially doubled. Still, gaining a better understanding of the Japanese perspective is what drew me to this book in the first place. Before Pearl Harbor, the Japanese didn’t seem to understand why their friendly overtures toward the US were being rebuffed. They didn’t seem to appreciate how damaging it was, from the US perspective, for Japan to have signed a pact with Germany and Italy. And the Japanese soldiers’ initial savage treatment of the Chinese citizens (including infants!) in the cities and territories they conquered gave Japan’s reputation a stain they could not cleanse. I was pleased the book also covered the Japanese surprise attack on Clark Air Force base in the Philippines. Although not as well-known as the Pearl Harbor attack, that attack was still devastating to the US’ ability to defend that region of the world. And the book continues through all the major Pacific actions of WW II. To name a few, the sinking of the HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse, the Bataan Death March, MacArthur’s escape from Corregidor, battle of the Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Tarawa and on through to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. And, in most cases, with those actions described from both the US and Japanese perspective. It was incredible that, even after the dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there were elements who wanted to keep fighting, viewing national suicide as preferable to surrender. Bottom line: Lots of information. Quite complete, though by necessity somewhat abbreviated. Reasonably unbiased. Provides some understanding of the Oriental perspective of that time.

I have read many books on WW2 and this ranks as one of the best. The book was detailed and informative yet very readable. It was written from the Japanese perspective which gave excellent insight on how cultural factors influenced how and why the war was so brutally and stubbornly fought.

I first read this book in graduate school study of Japanese history and it impressed me as impartial narrative. Now, many years later, I read it again because I now have lived in Japan for 25 years and I cannot help but wonder how much unbiased truth was told on either side of the Pacific. With the 70th year memorial for the end of WWII this year, and questions about a possible modification of the Japanese constitution which prohibits military action by the Defense Force of Japan, people probably should be thinking about the past a little more. For those of us who were raised in the USA, we got the USA perspective for years on the big screens at theaters and then, on TV late movies. But, the truth wasn't all American "John Wayne" heroes, or stereotyped images of crazy Japanese soldiers and politicians. One thing I am certain of after reading this book is that WWII was hell on earth on both sides- Allies and Axis; and even more so for all of the people living in the countries that made up the war zone. We need to remember that point, and we really need to make sure we know what really happened so that we won't make the same mistakes again,. If you are interested in a good presentation of available information from both sides (although perhaps more so from the Japanese perspective) this is a must-read book.

Amazing book and an easy read that goes into depth but doesn’t bore you with too many details.

The West has the reflex to think warmonger Japan was the pacific version of nazis. It was not. It was a democracy, peculiar perhaps, but where no Hitler existed. The book is absolutely breathtaking and is the result of hundreds of interviews with Japanese first hand participants.

Excelent book about Japan in WWII, from the Japanese point of view.

A very exhaustively researched and written history by John Toland, a postwar historian who appears to have had a good understanding of Japanese culture (his wife was Japanese, which can't have hurt in this respect). The book is told largely from the Japanese perspective, although it is impartial in its telling. Toland dates the origin of the slide towards WW2 in the Pacific to the military rebellion of 1936 and the concept of justifiable rebellion which had also become a hallmark of the Kwantung army. The real villain of the piece on the Japanese side comes across not as Tojo but as Colonel Tsuji, a brilliant but dangerous maverick who was not above undermining his fellow officers and who as a result was detested as much as admired. However MacArthur does not walk away scot-free, but neither is he subjected to the sort of destructive revisionism that seems popular in some histories. Some may be disappointed that there is not much on the comparison of the hardware of the two countries other than the most significant, e.g. the production of the F6 Grumman Hellcat to overmatch the Mitsubishi Zero. However greater detail might well have lengthened this volume to a ponderous length. Although published in 1970, this book is still well worth reading.