Rays of the Rising Sun: Japan's Asian Allies

[Marcus]

(click the cover & buy it to support the site & forum)

I came across an interesting title while browsing Amazon: "Rays of the Rising Sun: Japan's Asian Allies Vol 1: China and Machukuo" by Philip S. Jowett & John Berger.
Has anyone got any info on this title?

/Marcus

[Goldfish]

Philip Jowett is the author of the excellent two-volume series on the Japanese Army for Osprey as well as a book for them on Chinese Civil War armies that contains a lot of information on collaborationist regimes in China. This book looks to be an expansion of that subject. Sadly, it was due out about a year ago and has still not been released.

Regards,
Goldfish

[asiaticus]

Well I just ordered it from Amazon and should have it in 5-11 days.

I will post a little quick appraisal after I get it and look thru the thing.

[Rand]

Asiaticus,

please keep us up to date on the book. Could you tell us if it has info, photos, order of battle, etc. on Japanese Allied units? Thanks,

Rand.

[asiaticus]

Yes, I will give a good rundown on its contents.

[Marcus]

I look forward to reading your review of it.

/Marcus

[asiaticus]

Hey I just got Rays of the Rising Sun: Japan’s Asian Allies 1931-45. Volume 1: China & Manchuku in the mail today.

Its hardback, 31cm x 22.5cm, 139 pages. Published by Helion & Co. 2004. ISBN 1 874622 21 3

It has a lot of photos of troops, planes and ships and color illustrations of uniforms and planes. No maps,

The book has six chapters:

1. Introduction
2. The Manchukuoan Army 1932-45
3. Chinese "Puppet" Governments & Armies 1931-40
4. Chinese "Puppet" Governments & Armies 1940-45
5. "Puppet" Airforces & Navies 1931-45
6. Uniforms of Manchukuoan and other Chinese "Puppet" Armed Forces 1931-45
(this includes Ranks, insignia,flags, etc.)


Appendices include an Order of Battle for the Nanking Government and Manchukuo circa 1943, based on a British intel report, and bios of Chinese "Puppet" leaders and Japanese involved in the development and control of these regimes.

Very interesting at first glance. Ive seen some of the info on Manchukuo before but the Chinese info is all new to me. Quite a managerie of Chinese, Mongol, White Russian forces the Japanese had as auxillaries and allies in the early period.


If you have any questions you want answered ask away. I will do my best to answer.

[Rand]

Hey Asiaticus, it sounds like that book is worth the purchase. I had no idea about the White Russian allies of the Japanese....Quite interesting, thanks for the rundown of the contents.

Cheers, Rand.

[asiaticus]

The chapter on Manchukuo is quite large and very detailed, but I had read about it elsewhere in Coox's book on Nomonhan and an article on a website:

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/Stor ... index.html

Mighty Manchukuo by Akira "Taki" Takizawa, which has the same oob as Jowatt's book but with a few supplementing details so its worth looking at too.

BTW Taki has his own website on the Japanese army and posts on another forum and has a lot more info about the Japanese and allied forces than is on his site. Worth
posting to if you have questions.


But there is a lot more little details I have not seen before in here too. So Yes this thing is a real prize. Well worth getting.

[wstraka]

Has anyone heard anything about the fate of volume 2 of Philip Jowett's "Rays of the Rising Sun"? It has been showing for years as "to be published" on Amazon.com. Elsewhere, I found one page stating that it is to be the second of three volumes (no mention of details for volume 3) by Mr. Jowett. I checked Worldcat.org and it shows that copies are located in The British Library, University of London, Defensiebibliotheken, the Peace Palace Library in the Netherlands.

Anyone know?

Thanks in advance.

Bill

[Orwell1984]

Hello Bill
I don't hold much hope of that title ever seeing print. The publisher, Helion ,of the book had the first volume of Rays of the Rising Sun listed as an impending reprint. The date on this reprint kept slipping and slipping and slipping so I emailed the publisher to find out if the book was ever being released. The response I got indicated that the interest in volume one was not high enough to warrant a reprint and that volume two had been promised for several years but had still not been submitted for publication. It was then stated that if demand increased for volume one it may again be considered for reprint, perhaps if volume 2 ever makes it to the submission stage. As of now volume one is available in ebook format or for high prices used.
Thanks
Mark

[wstraka]

Thanks Mark. I have volume 1 and find it excellent. I hope at some point they decide to print or reprint volume 2. (While I'm wishing, I might as well wish for volume 3 too!)

Thanks again.

Bill

[wstraka]

Mark, since you mentioned that you contacted Helion, I just did the same. I received a response that the book is not "dead" (as I put it to them), but is under consideration for expanding the volume. Publication will be in 2013--according to them.

Bill

[Orwell1984]

Mark, since you mentioned that you contacted Helion, I just did the same. I received a response that the book is not "dead" (as I put it to them), but is under consideration for expanding the volume. Publication will be in 2013--according to them.

Bill

Thanks for the update Bill.
So there's a glimmer of hope after all.
I'll try not to get my hopes up too much though as there's been more than one title from them I've watched get pushed back and back and back and back.
Still glass half full right?
Mark

[wstraka]

Mark,

I just received another email from Helion publishing. Volumes 2 and 3 will be combined into a single volume. The completion date is unknown due to Mr. Jowett evidently not being able to provide a completion date to the publisher.

Bill