Engineering War and Peace in Modern Japan, 1868–1964

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Japan, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences
Cover of the book Engineering War and Peace in Modern Japan, 1868–1964 by Takashi Nishiyama, Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Takashi Nishiyama ISBN: 9781421412672
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: April 15, 2014
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Takashi Nishiyama
ISBN: 9781421412672
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: April 15, 2014
Imprint:
Language: English

Naval, aeronautic, and mechanical engineers played a powerful part in the military buildup of Japan in the early and mid-twentieth century. They belonged to a militaristic regime and embraced the importance of their role in it. Takashi Nishiyama examines the impact of war and peace on technological transformation during the twentieth century. He is the first to study the paradoxical and transformative power of Japan’s defeat in World War II through the lens of engineering.

Nishiyama asks: How did authorities select and prepare young men to be engineers? How did Japan develop curricula adequate to the task (and from whom did the country borrow)? Under what conditions? What did the engineers think of the planes they built to support Kamikaze suicide missions? But his study ultimately concerns the remarkable transition these trained engineers made after total defeat in 1945. How could the engineers of war machines so quickly turn to peaceful construction projects such as designing the equipment necessary to manufacture consumer products? Most important, they developed new high-speed rail services, including the Shinkansen Bullet Train. What does this change tell us not only about Japan at war and then in peacetime but also about the malleability of engineering cultures?

Nishiyama aims to counterbalance prevalent Eurocentric/Americentric views in the history of technology. Engineering War and Peace in Modern Japan, 1868–1964 sets the historical experience of one country’s technological transformation in a larger international framework by studying sources in six different languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The result is a fascinating read for those interested in technology, East Asia, and international studies. Nishiyama's work offers lessons to policymakers interested in how a country can recover successfully after defeat.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Naval, aeronautic, and mechanical engineers played a powerful part in the military buildup of Japan in the early and mid-twentieth century. They belonged to a militaristic regime and embraced the importance of their role in it. Takashi Nishiyama examines the impact of war and peace on technological transformation during the twentieth century. He is the first to study the paradoxical and transformative power of Japan’s defeat in World War II through the lens of engineering.

Nishiyama asks: How did authorities select and prepare young men to be engineers? How did Japan develop curricula adequate to the task (and from whom did the country borrow)? Under what conditions? What did the engineers think of the planes they built to support Kamikaze suicide missions? But his study ultimately concerns the remarkable transition these trained engineers made after total defeat in 1945. How could the engineers of war machines so quickly turn to peaceful construction projects such as designing the equipment necessary to manufacture consumer products? Most important, they developed new high-speed rail services, including the Shinkansen Bullet Train. What does this change tell us not only about Japan at war and then in peacetime but also about the malleability of engineering cultures?

Nishiyama aims to counterbalance prevalent Eurocentric/Americentric views in the history of technology. Engineering War and Peace in Modern Japan, 1868–1964 sets the historical experience of one country’s technological transformation in a larger international framework by studying sources in six different languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The result is a fascinating read for those interested in technology, East Asia, and international studies. Nishiyama's work offers lessons to policymakers interested in how a country can recover successfully after defeat.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book Dear Parents by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Social Networks and Popular Understanding of Science and Health by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Francisco's Chinatown by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Primate Comparative Anatomy by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Our Germans by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book The Resurgence of the Latin American Left by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Committed by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Accreditation on the Edge by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Women's Colleges and Universities in a Global Context by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book The Morehouse Mystique by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Marsupial Frogs by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Selling the Amish by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book How University Boards Work by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book Geopolitics in Health by Takashi Nishiyama
Cover of the book When Stories Travel by Takashi Nishiyama
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy