Arming Japan1995
defense production, alliance politics, and the postwar search for autonomy
by Michael J. Green
Through five decades of postwar alliance with the United States, Japanese bureaucrats, politicians, and industrialists have debated the advantages of kokusanka - the indigenous development and production of weapons of war.
Arming Japan explores the evolution of the kokusanka debate, elucidating clearly the question of Japanese political and military autonomy in the postwar era. Drawing on scores of original documents, Michael Green brings life to the institutions, individuals, ideas, and interests that have shaped Japanese policymaking in an area where technology, security, and economics intersect.
Beginning with an explanation of the prewar precedents for kokusanka, Arming Japan follows the growth of Japan's postwar defense industrial base from its rebirth in the Korean War to its...