Ishiwara
Kanji was not well-known as an important personality in the literature of WW2.
One reason could be his diminished role by the time the Pacific War started.
However one can argue that he played an instrumental role in pushing Japan
eventually into the war. This is not an implausible argument, the title of the book alludes to this. Japan’s isolation
before the war and eventual aggression in South-East Asia and the Pacific had
roots in Manchuria. Ishiwara Kanji was one the orchestrators of the formation
of Manchukuo (a “state” created by the Kwangtung Army out of Manchuria meant to
be a showcase for Japanese colonialism) and should share some blame for what
eventually happened to Japan. But today the name Ishiwara Kanji is only
associated with two things: his exploits (or insubordination) in the Kwantung
Army, and his book "On The Final War".
Though he
served in Manchuria in the Kwantung Army, Kanji's obsession was not on the
conflict with China, not even Russia, but the US. His thesis was that Japan
would eventually go into a conflict with the US since both were pursuing
expansionist policies at the same time. His impression that the US was
following an expansionist policy was a result of his extension of what happened
in the Philippines and also an extrapolation of the increasing power of the US.
But he knew that compared to the US, Japanese resources and industrial prowess were
meagre and so a protracted conflict with the US would surely be unsustainable.
To increase the odds in Japan's favour, Manchuria, with its vast natural
resources seems like a good place to exploit, a policy coming straight out of
his 'war can maintain war' ideology, thus started his ambitious, bold, and
brilliant plan to create Manchukuo. In doing so, he displayed not just the
opportunism that later served him, but also blatant insubordination worthy of
court martial. Yet this coincided precisely with the rise of nationalism in
Japan that had been riding a rising tide since Japan's victory in the
Russo-Japanese War. The successful exploits of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria
generated so much zeal and pride back home that even the Tokyo high command was
wary of disciplining him for out-rightly disregarding the command not to
escalate matters in China. And so he made his reputation for daring and
brilliance, which eventually contributed to his undoing.
Kanji was a
prolific writer, and the author of this book, Mark R. Peattie, studied Kanji's
writings to develop a picture of how Kanji's own thoughts changed over the
years. The picture that emerged was one of an enigma of a man who seemed to hop
from one position to another vis-à-vis different countries. For one known as
the architect of Manchukuo, his change of heart towards relationship with China
and later to his constant warnings about Russia all seemed to make him looked
like one who did not appear to have a consistent view of Japan's position in
East Asia. However if we were to explore his motives for the change in heart,
it would not be difficult to find that these were all considered 'irritants'
that must be eliminated in preparation for the Final War - with the US. It was
not until near the end of WW2, when he clearly saw that Japan was going to lose
the war that he started to shift and declared that continuing the war with the
US would only bring Japan to her knees. He was not one to expound 'fighting to
the last man', he thought Japan should just surrender and his thoughts were
already on rebuilding Japan after the war. An opportunist by nature, he even
had the delusions about being asked to serve in post-war Japan for the
occupying force.
Unfortunately,
by then, he was almost totally out of favour and no one wanted to listen to
him. There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, his transgressions during his
time in the Kwantung Army, though applauded by many, were resented by some in
the Tokyo high command. While they could not do anything to him earlier, they
did not forget the humiliation. When the chance came, they seized upon it to
sidelined him. Secondly, while he was originally idolised by many young
officers for his exploits in Manchuria, his refusal to support them during the
Young Officers' Revolt also made them feel that he had sold them out, giving
them the inspiration to 'do the right thing' but hanging them to dry when they
did it. He was in fact the one given the responsibility to deal with the young
officers in revolt. Finally, he lost himself in his big ego, particularly after
he was not punished but commended for his actions in Manchuria. He thought he
was above military regulations and was openly criticising higher decisions and
policies so much so that he became "an embarrassment". That he
finally was not even tried for war crimes in the Tokyo Tribunal attests to how
much his influence had waned in the closing years of the war.
This is a well-researched book, focusing on just the right bits of Ishiwara Kanji's life, starting from the time he joined the Kwantung Army till the end of his life in 1949, only some 20 years. Some readers may prefer a more comprehensive work that details more of his life, and I think these are probably available in Japanese. For my purpose, this is good enough. The author has an academic way of writing which does not make for easy reading. But the author structured the book well, focusing on major subjects rather than chronology, making it easy for those who want to study the various aspects of Kanji's life, be it his stint in various commands and positions, or his writings. What are invaluable about this book are the analyses the author added at the end of every chapter, culminating in a final chapter that encapsulates the author's overall evaluation of his subject. Given the dearth of English literature on much of Japan's war in East Asia, this old book is an important resource for those seeking to understand the events of the time. More importantly, for those who want to see how broken down the political system and army discipline had been in Japan in that era, the subject of this book could not have epitomised it better.
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