Agony of Choice: Matsuoka Yosuke and the Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1880-1946

This biography of Japanese statesman and diplomat Matsuoka Yosuke offers a depiction of the spokesman of Japanese expansionism, a man central tothe making of 20th century japanese and US history. This text captures the true complexity of Matsuoka, an American-educated Japanese foreign minister who promoted alliance with Nazi Germany and neutrality with the Soviet Union - decisions that would lead Japan to war with America in the pacific and to Matsuoka’s indictment for war crimes. The book studies, througharchival research and personal interviews, Matsuoka’s pivotal role in the drama of Japan’s withdrawal from the League of nations, empire-building in Asia and the development of interwar Japanese politics, revealing a colourful and contradictory figure.