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The Second Sino-Japanese War and national mobilization: the issue of rallying soldiers and personal experiences of the battlefield

2012; Routledge; Volume: 24; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09555803.2011.637638

1469-932X

Yoshimi Yoshiaki,

Chinese history and philosophy

Abstract This essay examines the wartime diaries of several Japanese soldiers and investigates their personal experiences of the Second Sino-Japanese War. It first considers the effects that mobilization strategies had in creating a sense of national unity and purpose, and then contrasts these tendencies with Japanese soldiers' actual battlefield experiences. Through the exploration of these personal writings, this essay demonstrates that those soldiers who had battlefield experience served as a major driving force behind the establishment of imperial fascism in addition to the military. Keywords: Second Sino-Japanese Warmobilizationwartime diariesnationalismimperial fascismChinaKonoe Fumimaro Acknowledgments *This essay was published as ‘Nitchū sensō to kokumin dōin: heishi no dōin to senjō taiken no mondai wo chūshin ni’, Rekishi hyōron, 447 (July 1987), 9–17. This English translation is published with permission of the author by arrangement with Association of Historical Science. This translation was completed as part of the 2011 SOAS Translation Workshop in Japanese Studies, made possible through funding from the Nippon Foundation. The translator would like to thank Sarah Teasley, Amelia Bonea and Sara Osenton, who also participated in the 2011 workshop, for their insights and comments on earlier drafts of this translation. Notes 1. Konoe Fumimaro served as Prime Minister of Japan June 1937–January 1939 and July 1940–October 1941. He created the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, an organization that promoted a totalitarian government to maximize mobilization strategies and prepare and fortify Japan for war with China, and later for the Second World War. 2. This was an award given by the emperor to members of the military before the Second World War. 3. Bai Chongxi (1893–1966) was a Chinese general and prominent Chinese Nationalist Muslim leader. He was Deputy in Chief of the General Staff during the Sino-Japanese war and was a key strategist in adopting a ‘total war’ policy. He was also involved in many key campaigns effectively delayed the Japanese advance.