Today I talk to Pradyu Prasad (blogger and podcaster) about the book "Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan" by Herbert P. Bix. We also discuss militarization, industrial capacity, current events, and blogging.
Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform.
Podcast website here.
Follow Pradyu on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter for updates on future episodes.
Follow Pradyu's Blog: https://brettongoods.substack.com/
Timestamps:
(0:00:00) - Intro
(0:01:59) - Hirohito and Introduction to the Book
(0:05:39) - Meiji Restoration and Japan's Rapid Industrialization
(0:11:11) - Industrialization and Traditional Military Norms
(0:14:50) - Alternate Causes for Japanese Atrocities Richard Hanania's Public Choice Theory in Imperial Japan (0:17:03)
(0:21:34) - Hirohito's Relationship with the Military
(0:24:33) - Rant of Japanese Strategy
(0:33:10) - Modern Parallel to Russia/Ukraine
(0:38:22) - Economics of War and Western War Capacity
(0:48:14) - Elements of Effective Occupation
(0:55:53) - Ideological Fervor in WW2 Japan
(0:59:25) - Cynicism on Elites
(1:00:29) - The Legend of Godlike Hirohito
(1:06:47) - Postwar Japanese Economy
(1:13:23) - Blogging and Podcasting
(1:20:31) - Spooky
(1:38:00) - Outro
Pradyu Prasad - Imperial Japan, the God Emperor, and Militarization in the Modern World