Ikuhiko Hata – författare

Comfort Women and Sex in the Battle Zone is an exhaustive examination of the controversial issue of comfort women, who provided sexual services to Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. This book provides extensive documents and narratives by witnesses to shed light on the reality of these women who worked in the battle zone. The book also covers Japan’s political and diplomatic disagreements with neighboring nations, in particular South Korea and China, over this issue, as well as other international reactions, including the U.S. House of Representatives resolution that urged the Japanese government to apologize to former comfort women. The book is an English translation of the Japanese version first published in 1999 and reprinted several times, with additional sections covering recent developments.

Comfort Women and Sex in the Battle Zone is an exhaustive examination of the controversial issue of comfort women, who provided sexual services to Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. This book provides extensive documents and narratives by witnesses to shed light on the reality of these women who worked in the battle zone. The book also covers Japan’s political and diplomatic disagreements with neighboring nations, in particular South Korea and China, over this issue, as well as other international reactions, including the U.S. House of Representatives resolution that urged the Japanese government to apologize to former comfort women. The book is an English translation of the Japanese version first published in 1999 and reprinted several times, with additional sections covering recent developments.

*In depth review of Imperial Japanese Army Air Force fighter units and pilots. *Detailed study of equipment, operations from Pearl Harbor to kamikaze attacks, and pilots who achieved ace status.*Heavily illustrated with photos of pilots, aircraft, and unit insignia.

This is a most important new work on Emperor Hirohito by one of Japan’s leading historians, Ikuhiko Hata. Following the untimely death of Marius B. Jansen (Emeritus Professor, University of Princeton) in December 2000, who had been actively collaborating with the author and translator of the original Japanese edition (Hirohito Tenno itsutsu no ketsudan, first published in 1987 and republished in 1994), it was inevitable that there would be a delay in publication of the English edition, which is finally now available. In his extended Foreword as editor, referring to the nature of Hirohito’s power, Jansen states: ‘We are left with puzzles that will probably never be resolved. Clearly, as Professor Hata and others have shown, the Emperor Hirohito had immense power, but the condition of retaining it was judicious restraint in exercising it.’ In offering a view on the merits of Hata’s research, Jansen points to the hitherto unknown plots (in parallel but unrelated) by both the Army and Navy to preserve, and if necessary resuscitate, the imperial line in the event the victors decided to depose Hirohito. Jansen also points to the merits of Hata’s particular focus on the contribution Hirohito made to Japan in its post-war relations with the United States. Jansen added substantive notes to help place the author’s material in historical and historiographical perspective. The book, which is not a biography or a general history of the Showa era, focuses on five decisions taken by Emperor Hirohito, which the author considers the key turning points of his reign: these concern the 26 February 1936 insurrection of young army officers, the termination of the Pacific War, the post-war constitution, the issue of abdication and the San Francisco Peace Treaty.

Hitherto only available in Japanese text, this unique work is now published in English language format (reprinted now following exceptional demand) and provides an in-depth review of the fighter units of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and their pilots. This translation is a companion volume to other Grub Street titles such as Aces High and Stars and Bars. It is and indispensable reference for the serious research student and historian. Ikuhiko Hata is a past Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center and presently Professor of History at Nihon University. His previous works include A History of the Japanese-Chinese War, 1931-1941. Yasuho Izawa is an Opthalmic Optician whose past works include Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units (with Professor Hata) and Bloody Shambles Vols 1 and 2 (with Christopher Shores).

This book is a companion volume to Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1931-1945, published by Grub Street in 2002. As such it also represents a major updating and rewriting of Messrs Hata’s and Izawa’s earlier book of similar title, published in the USA some 20 years ago.The book commences with a comprehensive account of the operations of navy fighter units throughout the period under review. This is followed by individual sections detailing the history and achievements of each unit involved, be it land-based or aircraft carrier-based. A major section then provides biographical details regarding all pilots claiming eight or more aerial victories.As might be expected of such a work, prolific appendices provide detailed listings of all pilots known to have claimed five or more victories (and thus considered to be ‘aces’); listings of the graduation from training of all Japanese Navy fighter pilots, and of fighter pilot casualties. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs, maps and artist’s side-view drawings and paintings of aircraft relevant to each of the units described.