Hello and welcome to the History of Japan podcast.

Episode 45, The Emperor's Own, Part 1.

This week, we're going to begin our first four-parter.

We're going to be talking about the rise to power

of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces

and their role and legacy in Imperial Japan.

There are a few things I want to clarify before we get started here, because this is a very loaded story,

and it's very central to a few broader narratives, not least among them, the story of the Second World War.

First and foremost, you're getting my version of how things went down.

This is true of really every episode I do.

History is, to a degree, though not totally, subjective based on the person telling the story.

This is why I encourage you to read up on topics from a few different perspectives

if you're personally interested in them, rather than taking my word as gospel truth.

However, this applies even more so in this particular case.

This area happens to be a specialty of my own work, so I have very strong opinions that will not necessarily jive with others you may have heard.

That's totally fine, and in fact I encourage you to think about it, and if you're so inclined, to talk to me about it.

After all, the point of this show isn't to get you to agree with me about Japanese history, but to get you to think about it.

Second, just in terms of laying out what we're going to be doing here, this particular series will cover the lead-up to the breakout of war in China.

We'll be stopping with the start of the war in China in 1937.

As a result, it will seem like I'm giving short shrift to both the China War and the War in the

Pacific.

That's not my intention, however.

...