Author: WETZLER, PETER.
Title: Hirohito and War: Imperial Tradition and Military Decision Making in Prewar Japan.
Description: First Edition, First Printing; Med. 8vo; pp. xiv, 294, (1); table of Japanese, American, and British Navel and Air Forces in the Far East in 1938, notes, bibliography, index, bound in original red cloth, title lettered in gilt on spine, dustjacket, very good copy. Honolulu; University of Hawai'i Press; 1998. The debate over Emperor Hirohito's accountability for government decisions and military operations up to the end of the World War II began before the end of the war and has continued even after his death in 1989. The book documents this controversy while providing insights into the Showa emperor's role in military planning in Imperial Japan. It argues the Hirohito both knew of and participated in such planning and offers evidence that he was informed well in advance of imperial army and navy decisions, including the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Keywords: General Military Biography