Spanning Japan’s Modern Century: The Memoirs of Hugh Borton

Spanning Japan’s Modern Century is the memoir of Hugh Borton, an extraordinary man and devout Quaker who in 1942, as a 39-year-old assistant professor of Japanese history, was called to the State Department, where he rose rapidly to become one of the principal architects of United States policy toward post-war Japan. Drawn from Borton’s personal papers this work provides a fresh and intimate picture of the man who played a pivotal role in defining the meaning of unconditional surrender for Japan, retaining the Emperor, and designing Japan’s post-war constitution. It sheds fascinating, new light on the development of the United States’ post-war Japanese policy and the often-fractious relationships between the various agencies tasked with its creation and implementation.