Yoshida Shigeru

The most complete autobiography of Yoshida Shigeru available in English, this expanded translation of his memoirs traces the remarkable life and times of one of Japan's most powerful and influential figures. Yoshida (1878-1967), who served in China and Europe as a career diplomat, closely linked with the key political leaders who shaped the world in Japan's most tumultuous years in the first half of the twentieth century. He returned to politics to rebuild Japan as a five-time prime minister after the devastation of World War II. Yoshida retired from the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1939 with the intention of leading a quiet life. Yet he knew the winds of war were stirring and presciently began behind-the scenes maneuvering to avoid the calamitous Pacific War. Soon after Japan's defeat, Yoshida amassed the political power to form his own cabinet. Sandwiched between Japan's interests and major reforms advanced by MacArthur's occupation forces, Yoshida boldly pushed through many essential reforms, laying the foundation for his country's reentry into the global community. Richly laced with historical detail, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in twentieth-century Japan. Exploring Yoshida's and Japan's linked histories, the book traces Yoshida's lengthy tenure in China, his travel abroad as a member of Japan's mission to conclude World War I, the interwar years spent as a high-ranking diplomat in Europe, his role in the days leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, his view on the loss of war, his insights into MacArthur's character, Japan's postwar economic woes, the new constitution, the threat of communism, the imperial system, and the San Francisco Peace Conference in 1958 that guaranteed Japan's sovereignty.

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 Crisis
Chapter 2 Chapter 1: The Unfolding Tragedy
Chapter 3 Chapter 2: The Crisis Breaks
Chapter 4 Chapter 3: Aftermath of Defeat
Chapter 5 Chapter 4: Blueprint for an Occupation
Chapter 6 Chapter 5: General MacArthur and His Aides
Chapter 7 Chapter 6: My Political Apprenticeship
Chapter 8 Chapter 7: The 'Yoshida Era' Begins
Chapter 9 Chapter 8: My First Cabinet
Chapter 10 Chapter 9: In Opposition-and an Election Victory
Chapter 11 Chapter 10: The Last Three Yoshida Cabinets
Chapter 12 Chapter 11: The West Revisited
Chapter 13 Chapter 12: Old Friends in Britain and the United States
Chapter 14 Chapter 13: The Post-War Constitution
Chapter 15 Chapter 14: Critics of the New Constitution
Chapter 16 Chapter 15: The Purges
Chapter 17 Chapter 16: Educational Reform
Chapter 18 Chapter 17: Police Reform
Chapter 19 Chapter 18: The Self-Defense Force
Chapter 20 Chapter 19: Agricultural Reform
Chapter 21 Chapter 20: The Post-War Food Crisis
Chapter 22 Chapter 21: Labor Reforms and After
Chapter 23 Chapter 22: My Views on Japan's Labor Movement
Chapter 24 Chapter 23: The Communists as a Destructive Force
Chapter 25 Chapter 24: The San Francisco Peace Treaty
Chapter 26 Chapter 25: Preparatory Negotiations for Peace
Chapter 27 Chapter 26: The San Francisco Peace Conference
Chapter 28 Chapter 27: The Territorial Question
Chapter 29 Chapter 28: The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty
Chapter 30 Chapter 29: The Administrative Agreement
Chapter 31 Chapter 30: Postscript
Part 32 Part II: New Translation
Chapter 33 Chapter 31: Korean War, Peace, and Independence
Chapter 35 Chapter 32: My View on the Imperial Household
Chapter 35 Chapter 33: Recollections of My Days as a Diplomat
Chapter 36 Chapter 34: Recollections of Friends