1,720,972 research outputs found
Gamble in the Coral Sea: Japan's Offensive, The Carrier Battle, and the Road to Midway
No full textThe opening salvos of the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first large-scale carrier clash in history, were fired one month before Midway. Gamble in the Coral Sea recounts, for the first time in English, the story of this battle from the Japanese point of view. Based on extensive Japanese-language sources, author Michał A. Piegzik forcefully challenges established Western narratives surrounding this critical engagement in the Pacific War.Operation MO, the Japanese plan to seize Port Moresby, kicked off in early May 1942. By committing three carriers, including the famous Shōkaku and Zuikaku, the Nippon Kaigun’s command risked a critical part of their fleet just before the envisaged decisive battle at Midway in the Central Pacific, scheduled for early July. The operation was considered a vital part of Japanese strategy. Victory would isolate Australia and New Zealand and extend access to vital resources crucial to Japan’s war effort. Victory, however, would prove elusive after American codebreakers deciphered Japanese radio traffic that revealed their plans in the weeks leading up to the launch of Operation MO. Using this intelligence to their advantage, U.S forces located elements of the Japanese navy as they steamed through the Coral Sea. Soon after, history’s first carrier battle began. Piegzik combines expertise in military history with mastery of the Japanese language to provide a rare perspective on the Imperial Japanese Navy’s operational choices during the battle. His use of Japanese archival documents and personal testimonies from surviving Japanese crew members uncovers new dimensions to the battle. The clash proved to be a Pyrrhic victory for the Japanese, who sunk the Lexington and crippled the Yorktown but were forced to call off Operation MO due to the severe damage inflicted on Shōkaku and the heavy losses among their aircrews. Revealed here are the circumstances and actual reasons for the Japanese failure and the revised impact of the Battle of the Coral Sea on the Battle of Midway. Beyond tactical details, Piegzik offers insight into the broader consequences of the battle. He engages with sources previously underexplored and integrates them with Allied perspectives to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the events. A vital addition to any World War II collection, Gamble in the Coral Sea offers a nuanced and thorough exploration of a battle that significantly shaped the trajectory of the war in the Pacific
Constitution of Japan, 1946 – the legislative process
No full textThe main aim of this paper is to present the legislation process and background of the Japanese Constitution of 1946. At the end of World War II in the Pacific the Empire of Japan was submitted under the military occupation of the United States. The defeated country, responsible for the aggression of the vast territories of East Asia, was expected never to return to the aggressive policy in the international arena. The most important priorities of the American occupation headquarters, whose main representative was General Douglas MacArthur, was to the change the socio-economic system of Japan, taking into account the specific nature of the Japanese nation. The Meiji Constitution was considered the main core of Japanese political life, which according to the Americans was far from democratic standards. In order to adopt a new constitution MacArthur engaged Japanese politicians, who formed different groups working on its draft. Already at the end of 1945 the cabinet created the so-called Matsumoto Committee composed of eminent Japanese lawyers, which became the main center of the work on a new constitution. The differences in the Japanese and American visions of the future constitution of Japan led to many meetings and negotiations, in which the interpretation of the concept of sovereignty and the role of the emperor was discussed. Forming their own constitutional committee the Americans created their project of the constitution for Japan, which put the emphasis on democratization and liberalization of the state. After several meetings with the representatives of the American office the project was partially revised at the request of Japanese politicians, retaining its original character. Finally, in June 1946 the legislative process began in the Japanese Diet which ended with the adoption of a new constitution on the 6th of October. The Constitution was subsequently promulgated by the Emperor and significantly changed the socio-economic structure of a country which took the democratic path. [pl] Głównym celem niniejszej pracy jest przedstawienie drogi legislacyjnej oraz okoliczności uchwalenia Konstytucji Japonii z 1946 r. Wraz z zakończeniem drugiej wojny światowej na Pacyfiku Cesarstwo Japonii znalazło się pod wojskową okupacją Stanów Zjednoczonych. Pokonane państwo, odpowiedzialne za agresję na rozległe terytoria Azji Wschodniej, miało nigdy nie powrócić do prowadzenia agresywnej polityki na arenie międzynarodowej. Do najważniejszych priorytetów amerykańskiego dowództwa okupacyjnego, którego głównym przedstawicielem mianowano generała Douglasa MacArthura, należała zmiana ustroju społeczno-gospodarczego Japonii przy uwzględnieniu specyficznych warunków narodu japońskiego. Za dotychczasową podstawę jego funkcjonowania uznano Konstytucję Meiji, która zdaniem Amerykanów była daleka od demokratycznych wzorców. W celu uchwalenia nowej konstytucji MacArthur zaangażował japońskich polityków, którzy tworząc różne ugrupowania, rozpoczęli prace nad projektem ustawy zasadniczej. Już pod koniec 1945 r. przy gabinecie utworzono tzw. Komitet Matsumoto, złożony z wybitnych japońskich prawników, będący głównym ośrodkiem prac nad nową konstytucją. Różnice w japońskiej i amerykańskiej wizji przyszłego ustroju Japonii doprowadziły do wielu spotkań oraz negocjacji, na których w szczególności dyskutowano nad rozumieniem pojęcia suwerenności oraz roli cesarza. Amerykanie, formując własny komitet konstytucyjny, doprowadzili do powstania amerykańskiego projektu ustawy zasadniczej dla Japonii, który kładł nacisk na demokratyzację oraz liberalizację państwa. Po szeregu spotkań z reprezentantami gabinetu amerykański projekt został częściowo zmieniony na wniosek japońskich polityków, zachowując swój pierwotny charakter. Ostatecznie w czerwcu 1946 r. w japońskim parlamencie rozpoczęto procedurę legislacyjną, która zakończyła się uchwaleniem nowej konstytucji 6 października. Ustawa zasadnicza została następnie promulgowana przez cesarza, zmieniając w sposób istotny ustrój społeczno-gospodarczy kraju i wprowadzając go na demokratyczną drogę
ポーランドの選択的夫婦別姓制度から見た 日本の夫婦別姓についての問題
No full text本論文では、日本の夫婦別氏についての問題を概要し、ポーランドの選択的夫婦別姓制度の要点とその歴史的発展を提示した。日本において、夫婦別氏の問題を比較学をもって解決できるだろうか、ポーランドの選択的夫婦別姓制度は、日本に対応するだろうか、こういう疑問に答える
The development of law schools in Japan during the Meiji period
No full textThe main goal of this paper is to describe the process of creating law schools in Japan during the codification of the Meiji period (1868-1912). After more than 200 years of isolation the Empire of Japan realized the need for modernization of the state and initiated political and socio-economic changes. Law became the main tool for the reformers and Japan intended to codify it from scratch, taking as an example the solutions adopted in the legal culture of the countries of the West. At the beginning of Meiji period the Japanese, who did not have their own law schools and educated jurists, used the help of French lawyers who assisted in passing the early codes and establishing the first centers of jurisprudence. Although initially those centers only supported the work of the cabinet and made theoretical analysis of French law, they were soon joined by schools gathering experts of Anglo-Saxon, German and Japanese traditional law. During over 40 years Japan educated thousands of modern jurists and lawyers, who took an active part in the creation of new codes and who became the political elite of the empire. [pl] Celem niniejszego artykułu jest przedstawienie procesu powstawania szkół prawa w Japonii w okresie wielkich kodyfikacji ery Meiji (1868–1912). Wraz z przełamaniem ponad 200-letniej izolacji Cesarstwo Japonii, rozumiejąc konieczność modernizacji państwa, zainicjowało proces zmian politycznych oraz społeczno-gospodarczych. Narzędziem reformatorów stało się prawo, które zamierzano skodyfikować od podstaw, biorąc za wzór rozwiązania przyjęte w krajach należących do zachodniej kultury prawnej. We wczesnym okresie ery Meiji Japończycy, nie posiadając własnych szkół prawa i wykształconych jurystów, wykorzystali pomoc francuskich prawników, dzięki którym uchwalono wczesne kodeksy oraz założono pierwsze ośrodki jurysprudencji. Choć początkowo miały one na celu wyłącznie wspieranie prac japońskiego rządu przy legislacji i analizę teoretyczną prawa francuskiego, szybko dołączyły do nich szkoły skupiające znawców anglosaskiego, niemieckiego oraz tradycyjnego japońskiego prawa. W przeciągu ponad 40 lat w Japonii wykształcono tysiące nowoczesnych jurystów i prawników, którzy wzięli aktywny udział w tworzeniu dalszych kodeksów i stali się elitą polityczną cesarstwa
The Darkest Hour Volume 2: The Japanese Offensive in the Indian Ocean 1942 - The Attack against Ceylon and the Eastern Fleet
No full textThe Darkest Hour presents the Imperial Japanese Navy offensive in the Indian Ocean area in March–April 1942, the main goal of which was to destroy the Royal Navy in the Far East and achieve domination on the western flank of the Pacific War on the eve of the Battle of Midway. The bold operation by two Japanese task forces (Kido Butai and Malay Force) in the Indian Ocean would only be possible with the fall of Singapore in February and the Dutch East Indies in early March 1942.From the strategic point of view, the Japanese offensive in the Indian Ocean was the only moment in the Second World War when the Axis forces could coordinate their efforts to severely threaten the position of the British Empire in the crucial Middle Eastern and Indian theatres.Volume 2 of The Darkest Hour describes the movements of the invincible Kido Butai, consisting of five aircraft carriers and their escorts, that expected to crush the British bases on Ceylon and once and forever destroy the main core of the Eastern Fleet. The chaos provoked by the Kido Butai would then become a great opportunity for the Malay Force to cut off the British shipping routes in the western part of the Bay of Bengal.The Darkest Hour is the first systematic attempt to describe this less-well known part of the Pacific War by researching both British and Japanese archive documents and other sources published in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and India.The second volume examines the Japanese aerial assault upon the British bases on Ceylon, and the attacks against the carrier HMS Hermes, cruisers MS Cornwall and Devonshire, and the destroyer HMAS Vampire. The Darkest Hour Volume 2 includes extensive tables detailing the composition of the Japanese air attacks and is illustrated with photographs and with colour artworks of the ships and aircraft involved
The Darkest Hour Volume 1: The Japanese Naval Offensive in the Indian Ocean 1942 - The Opening Moves
No full textThe Darkest Hour presents the Imperial Japanese Navy offensive in the Indian Ocean area in March–April 1942, the main goal of which was to destroy the Royal Navy in the Far East and achieve domination on the western flank of the Pacific War on the eve of the Battle of Midway. The bold operation by two Japanese task forces (Kidō Butai and Malay Force) in the Indian Ocean would only be possible with the fall of Singapore in February and the Dutch East Indies in early March 1942. From the strategic point of view, the Japanese offensive in the Indian Ocean was the only moment in the Second World War when the Axis forces could coordinate their efforts to severely threaten the position of the British Empire in the crucial Middle Eastern and Indian theatres.Volume 1 of The Darkest Hour describes the strategic planning and opening moves of both sides in February–March 1942, including the Japanese navy projections on the final steps of the first stage of the Pacific War, and the Royal Navy’s hopes to halt the enemy advance without taking any significant risks. The Japanese offensive in the Indian Ocean began in March 1942 with the invasion of the Andaman Islands and Christmas Island. By securing both vital positions, the Japanese navy planned to establish its advanced bases in the eastern part of the Bay of Bengal. In the next step, the invincible Kidō Butai consisting of five aircraft carriers and their escorts, was expected to crush the British bases on Ceylon and once and forever destroy the main core of the Eastern Fleet. The chaos provoked by the Kidō Butai would then become a great opportunity for the Malay Force to cut off the British shipping routes in the western part of the Bay of Bengal.The Darkest Hour is the first systematic attempt to describe this less-well known part of the Pacific War by researching both British and Japanese archive documents and other sources published in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and India. The first volume examines events up to the capture of the Andaman Islands and Christmas Island in early March 1942, and is extensively illustrated with photographs and colour artworks of the ships, aircraft and men involved
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