"The Spiritual History of Japan During the War" Author: [Japanese] Tsurumi Shunsuke Publisher: Beijing Daily Press

Introduction
From the September 18th Incident in 1931 to the end of World War II in 1945, Japan, in the name of "national polity", made the entire Japanese Empire, including its colonies, shrouded in a strong national ideology, and was extremely fanatical about war, the emperor, and the country, which further deepened its Greater Asianism and the idea of ​​​​dying with honor. By examining the Japanese people's closed-door character and inferiority complex, the ideological process of intellectuals, the coercive power of the state, and the relationship between the state and the people, Tsurumi Shunsuke brilliantly analyzed how Japan changed from a country that became prosperous and strong during the Meiji period, with free and open spiritual thoughts, to a conservative, narrow-minded, and fascist-ridden aggressor country. He further explained why the struggle, reflection, and resistance of Japanese intellectuals against nationalism failed, and how they succumbed to "turn" after being oppressed and became "accomplices" of militarism, and finally promoted and justified militarism and supranationalism when the country launched a war, leading Japan to the path of ​​dying with honor.
About the Author
Tsurumi Shunsuke (1922-2015) is a Japanese thinker, cultural critic, and social activist. He taught at Kyoto University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Doshisha University. Together with Maruyama Masao and Tsuru Shigeto, he formed the "Science of Thought Research Society". The journal he led, "Science of Thought", is the most prestigious thought magazine in postwar Japan. He emphasized "freedom of thought and conscience" and actively participated in movements such as opposing the Vietnam War and promoting compensation for comfort women. He wrote "History of Postwar Japanese Popular Culture", "What the War Left Behind", and "Postwar Thoughts in Comics". In 1994, he won the "Asahi Prize" for his contribution to modern thought and popular culture theory and the establishment of opposition thought.