A sudden rampage : the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia, 1941-1945 /

Based on previous research, this insightful account of the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia during WW II delivers a well-written discussion of the background and role played by Southeast Asia in Japan's grandiose Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Beginning with Meiji Japan, successive chapters deal with the interwar years, the war itself, and the Co-Prosperity Sphere. The final three chapters explain how Japan tried politically to integrate the area into the Japanese empire, how the Japanese exploited the region for its natural resources, and the social consequences of Japan's occupation. Tarling's strength lies in putting the war years in historical perspective by describing Japan's previous relations with Southeast Asian states, and in showing the differences in the occupation from country to country. Tarling also illustrates how administratively ill-prepared Japan was to take on such a large arena. The book is marred by numerous inconsequential but annoying misspellings, and it is not always clear which year Tarling is writing about. Several sources cited in footnotes are not included in the otherwise excellent bibliography. All levels and collections. A. Wittenborn San Diego State University