Ko Unoki’s overview of Japanese-U.S. relations from 1853 to 1941 is written for a general reader and as such is easy to read. However, the bulk of the book is disappointing.
The chronological narrative from Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival to the attack on Pearl Harbor is flawed. Tokugawa Japan is presented as a blank slate upon which the United States imprinted the concepts of racism and imperialism.
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