Yoshida Shigeru

Hiroshi Nara is professor and chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh.

• Part 1 Part I: The Yoshida Memoirs: The Story of Japan in CrisisChapter 2 Chapter 1: The Unfolding TragedyChapter 3 Chapter 2: The Crisis BreaksChapter 4 Chapter 3: Aftermath of DefeatChapter 5 Chapter 4: Blueprint for an OccupationChapter 6 Chapter 5: General MacArthur and His AidesChapter 7 Chapter 6: My Political ApprenticeshipChapter 8 Chapter 7: The 'Yoshida Era' BeginsChapter 9 Chapter 8: My First CabinetChapter 10 Chapter 9: In Opposition-and an Election VictoryChapter 11 Chapter 10: The Last Three Yoshida CabinetsChapter 12 Chapter 11: The West RevisitedChapter 13 Chapter 12: Old Friends in Britain and the United StatesChapter 14 Chapter 13: The Post-War ConstitutionChapter 15 Chapter 14: Critics of the New ConstitutionChapter 16 Chapter 15: The PurgesChapter 17 Chapter 16: Educational Reform Chapter 18 Chapter 17: Police ReformChapter 19 Chapter 18: The Self-Defense ForceChapter 20 Chapter 19: Agricultural ReformChapter 21 Chapter 20: The Post-War Food CrisisChapter 22 Chapter 21: Labor Reforms and AfterChapter 23 Chapter 22: My Views on Japan's Labor MovementChapter 24 Chapter 23: The Communists as a Destructive ForceChapter 25 Chapter 24: The San Francisco Peace TreatyChapter 26 Chapter 25: Preparatory Negotiations for PeaceChapter 27 Chapter 26: The San Francisco Peace ConferenceChapter 28 Chapter 27: The Territorial QuestionChapter 29 Chapter 28: The U.S.-Japan Security TreatyChapter 30 Chapter 29: The Administrative AgreementChapter 31 Chapter 30: PostscriptPart 32 Part II: New TranslationChapter 33 Chapter 31: Korean War, Peace, and IndependenceChapter 35 Chapter 32: My View on the Imperial HouseholdChapter 35 Chapter 33: Recollections of My Days as a DiplomatChapter 36 Chapter 34: Recollections of Friends

This new translation of Yoshida's memoirs will be welcome for all who wish to understand postwar Japanese history and leadership better, especially in light of its inclusion of previously unavailable sections on the Korean War, the Japanese imperial household, and other matters. Here are Yoshida's recollections and views on the Occupation and MacArthur, postwar economic recovery and growth, labor activism, and Japan's place in the international community. Here also are insights into the personalities and behavior of key figures in postwar Japan, and on events since 1945 that engaged the attention of both Japanese and Americans. Read in conjunction with such works as John Dower's studies of the Occupation and Yoshida himself, this memoir will give students of postwar Japan an invaluable grasp of what happened and how to evaluate it. A deep debt of gratitude is owed the translators and editors for providing this work. Essential.