This book traces the history of Japan’s Imperial Army from its origins in the nineteenth century through its destruction in 1945. The authors show how the army emerged from samurai traditions and was modernized during the Meiji era, becoming a powerful institution that helped transform Japan into a major world power. The book examines Japan’s victories against China and Russia, the Army’s growing political influence, and its role in expanding Japanese imperial ambitions across Asia. The Army gradually became trapped by myths of spiritual superiority, unquestioning obedience, and military destiny, which encouraged aggressive expansion, strategic miscalculations, and brutal treatment of conquered peoples. The narrative follows campaigns in China and the Pacific during World War II, highlighting both military effectiveness and atrocities committed by Japanese forces. Ultimately the army’s ideology contributed to its defeat and left a complex legacy for postwar Japan. This 1991 Hardcover is in very good condition, with no internal markings and a dust jacket with nominal wear.