Blog

During the Japanese occupation of large parts of Asia and the Pacific in 1941-45, Japan raised significant numbers of troops to fight alongside them, as well as militias to guard their conquests. On the blog today, Philip Jowett, author of the upcoming Men-at-Arms title 'Japan's Asian Allies 1941–45' looks at these different volunteer groups. Continue Reading

On the blog today, Brian Lane Herder examines several Allied naval strikes on Japan and recounts how his latest title, The Naval Siege of Japan 1945, came to be. Continue Reading

In this blog post, Gabriele Esposito, author of MAA 530 'Japanese Armies 1868-1877', explains the causes behind the two conflicts analysed in his book: 'The Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion', and which events were used as the starting point for creating the script of the movie “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise. Continue Reading

By the middle of 1944, in a last desperate bid to stave off defeat, Japan’s High Command launched the terrifying kamikaze attacks. These attacks are the subject of Mike Yeo's new book 'Desperate Sunset'. Read on to find out more.Continue Reading

In today's blog post, Stephen Turnbull, Osprey author and guest host of Geek Nation's Feudal Japan Tour, looks at some of the best and most loved castles in Japan.Continue Reading

Today marks the 74th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks, a day that Franklin D. Roosevelt declared would 'live in infamy'. The Japanese hoped that their attack would cripple the US Navy, but crucially the American aircraft carriers they hoped to destroy were not present... Continue Reading

On 22 November 1943 the Cairo Conference began, with Chiang Kai-Shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meeting to discuss Allied plans for defeating Japan in World War II...Continue Reading

On 21 October 1944 the first official Kamikaze strike took place, with the HMAS Australia hit and damaged by a Kamikaze attack. These suicide attacks were the scourge of the US fleet at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, with the Japanese armed forces building upon their initial success with weapons specially developed for Kamikaze attacks...Continue Reading

On 20 October 1944 the Philippines Campaign began with American troops landing on the eastern Phillipine Island of Leyte. They rapidly took control of the beachheads, allowing General Douglas MacArthur to make a dramatic return to the Phillipines following his escape in 1942...Continue Reading

On 30 August 1945 the Imperial Japanese Army handed Hong Kong over to the Royal Navy, restoring British control over the territory...Continue Reading