Reflections on 03/20/12 Session with Dr. Yamashita

[Anonymous]

Dr. Sam Yamashita presented Japan's history from 1858, the arrival of Matthew Perry and his warships to influence the future of the japanese empire. The attack to Pearl Harbor and going to war against the US, the war against China, Russia, Korea, controlling the South East Asia coastline. modern history of Japan is so interesting that time is too short trying to cover the various aspects of Japan: life, politics, economy, military growth, etc. This tale is fascinating.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Yamashita referred to a book written by a friend called "So Lovely A Country Will Never Perish" by Donald Keene.
I thought the premise of the book was intriguing due to the nature how his book was written. It discusses the attack on Pearl Harbor, and a host of other emotions among the Japanese people. Until the end of the war, many Japanese continued to believe that they were going to win the war. In the diaries of well-known writers—including Nagai Kafu, Takami Jun, Yamada Futaru, and Hirabayashi Taiko—and the scholar Watanabe Kazuo, varying perspectives were vividly, though privately, expressed.
The human connection to the material based on diary entries, I find, are far more effective in reaching students and connecting the curriculum to real life.

[Anonymous]

The information on the Meiji Restoration was extremely helpful in supplementing the textbook that I use in my class. It is intriguing to know that the Japanese very quickly recognized that a way to avoid unwanted "visitors"/possible colonizers was that it needed to adopt and adapt Western ways. By adopting new ideologies toward political rights, manufacturing, industry and tariffs. Rather than watch outside influences completely dismantle their culture the Japanese chose to take action and change while they still had the option.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I can see how unwanted "visitors"/possible colonizers could pose a threat. It seems strange that Japan ever felt it could colonize China because it is such a small island and China has such vast human resources. Then they even challenged the U.S. I wonder what's next as they continue to adopt and adapt.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Near the end of our seminar on March 20, Dr. Yamashita touched on the Orange Plan. This plan, devised by the U. S Army and Navy, predicts that after Japan defeats Russia in 1905, the next power to go to war or compete with the U.S. will be Japan. My U.S. History class is currently discussing World War II and my question to them was, "Why was Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor such a surprise after decades of rethinking and revising the Orange Plan?" Most historians categorically accept the proposition that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a "surprise" that caught the U.S. off guard. We do know that America was still caught in the clutches of the Great Depression and overwhelmingly isolationist on the eve of World War II. President Roosevelt was certainly in favor of going to war, but the American people were not. So what could Roosevelt do, or ignore, or what else could possibly happen that would offend American sensibilities and make them want to go to war during this era of isolationism? Hmmm, I wonder. This has some similarities with our War on Iraq where we needed to have some compelling justification, like weapons of mass destruction, that would convince the American public that we HAD to go to war.

[Anonymous]

I love the way that history has changed to reflect the way that there is no one clear history. Especially when we see multiple cultures with multiple value systems involved, finding the true history of a time becomes almost impossible to explore. You can only explore the challenges.

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