Hirohito’s War: The Pacific War, 1941-1945

Named one of Foreign Affairs’ Best Books of 2016

In his magisterial 1,208 page narrative of the Pacific War, Francis Pike’s Hirohito’s War offers an original interpretation, balancing the existing
Western-centric view with attention to the Japanese perspective on the
conflict. As well as giving a ‘blow-by-blow’ account of campaigns and
battles, Francis Pike offers many challenges to the standard
interpretations with regards to the causes of the war; Emperor
Hirohito’s war guilt; the inevitability of US Victory; the abilities of
General MacArthur and Admiral Yamamoto; the role of China, Great Britain and Australia; military and naval technology; and the need for the fire-bombing of Japan and the eventual use of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Hirohito’s War is accompanied by
additional online resources, including more details on logistics,
economics, POWs, submarines and kamikaze, as well as a 1930-1945
timeline and over 200 maps.