The Japan Society Review

By Sadao Asada Drawing on previously unused Japanese records from the three naval conferences of the 1920s—the Washington Conference of 1921-22, the Geneva Conference of 1927, and the London Conference of 1930—the author examines the strategic dilemma facing the Japanese navy during the 1920s and 1930s against the background of advancing weapon technology and increasing doubt about the relevance of battleships. He also analyzes the decisions that led to war with the United States—namely, the 1936 withdrawal from naval treaties, the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, and the armed advance into south Indochina in July 1941—in the context of bureaucratic struggles between the army and navy to gain supremacy. Review by Ian Nish

By Sukehiro Hirakawa Professor Hirakawa in a postscript (page 544) emphasises the importance "for Westerners to study not only the life and thought of the Orient but also to study those of the Occident from the Oriental points of view." This book is a significant contribution to this task. It is written in good clear English and demonstrates the width of the author's knowledge and cultural understanding. For anyone interested in Japanese literature and Japan's relations with the rest of the world this book contains much of interest as well as insights into a wide range of historical as well as cultural issues. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Motomi Oguchi and Joseph Cali In this book, renowned garden designer Motomi Oguchi offers the reader a step-by-step, practical approach to creating Japanese gardens, drawn from a wealth of experience that covers thirty years and encompasses the design of more than 400 gardens. The author uses real examples from gardens he has designed, constructed, and photographed to illustrate his key points, approaching each work from the perspective of the home or building owner. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Arata Isozaki, Tadao Ando and Terunobu Fujimori The tea house is one of Japans most original buildingsa very small, very simple space consisting of tatami mat, tokonoma (the alcove where wall scrolls are hung and flower arrangements placed), ro (the sunken stove where tea is heated) and nijiriguchi (the half door through which guests enter) . For generations, Japanese architects have embraced the challenge of the tea house despite severe formal constraints. Now, this beautiful and fascinating volume takes the traditional tea house and turns it on its head. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Peter Pagnamenta and Momoko Williams The central focus of this well written, moving and excellently researched book is the decades-long relationship between a British Army officer, Captain Arthur Hart Synnot, and a Japanese woman, Masa Suzuki, spanning the early 1900s up to the 1940s. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Andrew Cobbing and Masataro Itami Through a detailed reconstruction of Kawada's life and career, this book provides a remarkable case study of a single life impacting on developments in the Meiji period. The biography also takes us through different epochs. Not least, it contains the rare account of an East-West love story which unfolds through eighty-nine letters, all of which are transcribed and republished here. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Christopher Patten Hong Kong's last British governor recounts his experiences helping foster democracy there and forecasts the economic future of Asia. Review by Sean Curtin

Compiled, edited and in part translated by William McOmie The first in a three-volume series, Volume 1 begins with the earliest written reports from China in the first century AD and ends with a survey of Dutch reports from 1841, which marks the point when 'Japan had been amply described in all major respects', and at a time when it began to be perceived as a less remote and more important country in Western eyes 'yet still emphatically closed to all foreign trade except that of the Dutch and the Chinese'. Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

By Robert Harrison Crowder Though better known for his Japanese folding screen paintings, California-based artist and author Robert Crowder is also a writer of prose and poetry, which detail accounts of his Japanese experiences. In The Blue Furoshiki, he ventures through time and place to recount bygone chapters of daily life in Japan. Review by Susan House Wade

Edited by Rotem Kowner Examining the wide impact of the war and exploring the effect on the political balance in northeast Asia, this book focuses on the reactions in Europe, the United States, East Asia and the wider colonial world, considering the impact on different sections of society, on political and cultural ideas and ideologies, and on various national independence movements. Review by Ian Nish