( 5 reviews )
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Posted: Jul 27 2008
The author has produced a fine disaster story of a event usually overlooked in English literature, but unfortunately he views the disaster from the confines of the Yokohama foreign community, most specifically American, rather than from the Japanese themselves. Nonetheless, his portrayal of the society present in Japan in 1923 is informative, particularly with regard to the Japanese attitudes towards foreigners who were often seen as barbarians. Unfortunately, the author takes a sharp turn left and loses me when he contends that the American racial attitudes and National Origins Act of 1924 destroyed the goodwill built up between Japan and the US and "... many historians argue, hastened Japan's rejection of the West." Wow! Prior to the earthquake Japan sought to limit foreign contacts and influence in Japan by confining foreigners to what was essentially an enclave in Yokohama, severely restricting movement by foreigners, their ownership of property and business activities in Japan, and closely watching foreigners to the point that the Imperial Government, by no means a democracy, knew where every foreigner was at almost all times. Japan was hardly moving toward democracy and liberalism as the author contends, but was fully consumed in its militarism, fascism and xenophobia. Even today, a prime element in Japanese culture is its xenophobia, played out by limiting Western business activities in Japan and rejecting free trade. Nonetheless, the author contends that it was the US through seeking to limit Japanese immigration into the US that sent Japan on the road to World War II. Not to belabor the point, but when Senator Johnson said that Japan was "the Germany of Asia" as the author bemoans, where did he go wrong? Like some other reviewers, I have to recommend Seidensticker's "Tokyo Rising" to put the development of Japan during this period towards World War II in proper perspective. Perhaps the definitive work is the five volume series published by the Columbia University Press, "Japan's Road to the Pacific War." Ignoring the "Blame America" politics, the book is what it is, an interesting read for an evening or two.
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Posted: Aug 5 2007
The author relates the events of the deadly 1923 earthquake centered on Yokohama and extending to Tokyo primarily through the eyes of the American colony in Yokohama, particularly the US Navy attache, and American rescue attempts following the disaster. These accounts are intersperced with Japanese newspaper stories of the earthquake and the aftermath, but there is little attempt to rely on accounts of Japanese citizens to this tragedy. Hammer brings in the turning of the Japanese on the Korean minority and attempts to suggest the event and America's part, though primarily a rescue operation, was a contributing factor in strengthening the rise of the militarists in Japan. This seems overdone inasmuch as there is little attempt to probe deeper into the complex reasons that Japanese foreign policy evolved during the 1920s and 1930s into the expansionis forays into China and, eventually, against the United States. An interesting, but more or less of a sampling, of Japan during a formative period.
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( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jul 6 2007
YOKOHAMA BURNING is a fine disaster yarn in the same tradition of ISAAC'S STORM or THE GREAT DELUGE. However, as a work of history, especially Japanese history, the book's promotional materials are deceptive. YOKOHAMA BURNING deals primarily with the experiences of foreigners during the Yokohama earthquake...an interesting topic, certainly, but the book almost entirely ignores the Japanese, who clearly made up the majority of the victims. As a reader, I questioned whether the author spoke Japanese or had done any research into Japanese sources. Moreover, the book's claim that this event leads to Japan's militarism is both facecious and unproven. Again, perhaps if the author had done more work with the experience of the Japanese citizenry he might have been able to construct this point. So, what are we left with? If you like disaster tales then this book is fine(thus the two star rating instead of one). However, anyone looking for a serious and engaging work of history will be sorely disappointed. If you are interested in this topic I suggest Edward Sidensticker's TOKYO RISING, an entertaining, informative and comprehensive examination of the earthquake and the times which followed it (In fact, this book quotes Sidensticker...and made me wonder why, if the author read TOKYO RISING, he still wrote this work). In short, a great disappointment.
