Peter Lowe – författare

This volume examines aspects of international relations in East Asia from 1895 to the present with particular reference to the role of Japan: the principal theme pursues the antecedents, nature, and consequences of the Pacific war (1941-5). The topics examined focus on the course of Japanese expansion, American-Japanese relations, Japanese reactions to war, the role of women during the conflicts in China and the Pacific, Anglo-American policies towards Japan, China, and Korea after 1945, Japanese-New Zealand relations, and Anglo-Japanese relations from the 1950s to the 1980s.

This volume provides an overview of the origins, nature and aftermath of the war that was fought in the Korean peninsula between 1950 and 1953. Attention is focused particularly on the first year of the war, which witnessed profound variations in the fortunes of both sides. This includes the initial North Korean attack, China's dramatic entry into the war, and the controversy surrounding the conduct and dismissal of General MacArthur. Lowe also discusses why the signing of an armistice in July 1953 failed to secure a full peace settlement. He brings his discussion right up to date with the developments in Korea since the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994.

This edition has been revised to take account of new perspectives concerning the two Koreas and the looming presence of China on the world stage. New material has been made available by the fall of the Soviet Union and the partial release of records in China.

Remarkable insights into the profound Japanese concern 'for defending the cherished Japanese values amid an era of fantastic change', writes Peter Lowe.

The impressive Second Edition of this standard study incorporates important new evidence on the origins of the war from Chinese and Russian archives. It reveals that Stalin encouraged the attack on South Korea, but also confirms that the original initiative came from North Korea. Peter Lowe has also written an extended conclusion with a discussion of the Koreas in the late 1990s, and the challenges involved in securing their reunification.

Remarkable insights into the profound Japanese concern 'for defending the cherished Japanese values amid an era of fantastic change', writes Peter Lowe.