Japanese Intelligence in World War II (General Military) - Hardcover

Kotani, Ken

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846034256 ISBN 13: 9781846034251

Publisher: Osprey Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

In the eyes of history, Japanese intelligence in World War II has fared very poorly. However, these historians have most often concentrated on the later years of the war, when Japan was fighting a multi-front war against numerous opponents. In this groundbreaking new study, Japanese scholar Ken Kotani re-examines the Japanese Intelligence department, beginning with the early phase of the war. He points out that without the intelligence gathered by the Japanese Army and Navy they would have been unable to achieve their long string of victories against the forces of Russia, China, and Great Britain. Notable in these early campaigns were the successful strikes against both Singapore and Pearl Harbor.

Yet as these victories expanded the sphere of Japanese control, they also made it harder for the intelligence services to gather accurate information about their growing list of adversaries. At the battle of Midway in 1942, Japanese intelligence suffered its worst mishap when the Americans broke their code and tricked the Japanese into revealing the target of their attack. It was a mistake from which they would never recover. As the military might of Japan was forced to retreat and her forces deteriorated, so too did her intelligence services.

About this title

About the Author

Ken Kotani is Junior Research Fellow in Military History at the National Institute for Defense Studies, Tokyo. He received a BA from Ritsumeikan University, an MA from King's College London and a Ph.D. from Kyoto University. He specializes in intelligence history and has been involved as a co-writer of Encyclopedia of World War II (ABC CLIO 2004), and has also written articles for a variety of journals.

Review

"There were plenty of examples where intelligence played a critical role with key events, such as the American success prior to Midway in the intelligence realm that ultimately led to the sinking of four Japanese fleet carriers. Although the Japanese military intelligence apparatus, both army and navy, were not up to par when compared to their western counterparts, it still played a critical and successful role in the preparation and execution of war against Russia, China, and the United Kingdom.

Author Ken Kotani, an authority in this field with the National Institute for Defense in Japan, dove into very minute details with his book Japanese Intelligence in World War II...Kotani's fair evaluation of both strengths and weaknesses makes Japanese Intelligence in World War II among the best of the topic, particular in the west." -C. Peter Chen, World War 2 Database (www.ww2db.com)

"Japanese Intelligence in World War II comes from a Japanese scholar who provides a reassessment telling how the Japanese used information from the Soviets, the Chinese and others in planning Japanese strategy and tactics... This study describes Japanese signals, counter-intelligence tactics, and their use of intelligence from pre-war through their successes and ultimate failure. Japanese, military and general history holdings at the college-level will find this focus fascinating." -The Bookwatch (December 2009)

"Here, at last, is a comprehensive account of the secret inner sanctum of the Japanese intelligence community... This book is a real eye-opener and should be on every reader's bookshelf." -World War II History (July 2010)

Edition details

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1846034256
• ISBN 13: 9781846034251
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 232