The transformation of Japan in the years between 1931 and 1945 into an expansionist and potentially hegemonic power that threatened the stability of the international order in East Asia is a topic that is central to any understanding of the region’s history in the twentieth century.

This new four-volume collection from Routledge brings together the best and most influential scholarship on the period, both contemporary and historical. Volumes I and II focus on politics, foreign policy, and diplomacy. Volume III meanwhile covers economic and financial history. Finally, Volume IV assembles key work on social, cultural, and intellectual factors.

The collection is fully indexed and includes a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor. Each volume of this essential work of reference is also supplemented with an invaluable list of suggested further reading.