This Open Access book describes the history of the relationship between the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the heir to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and the United States Navy (US Navy), with a focus on the individuals who helped build it. Former enemies who fought fiercely on the seas and in the air during the Pacific War, the two navies came to respect each other in action. Soon after the war, when the Cold War turned hot, they began to work together as allies, driven by their respective national interests. With the generous assistance of the US Navy, the JMSDF was established as its counterpart.
Over the years, these two navies have gradually built strong ties. Individual officers and sailors on both sides overcame mixed feelings about their erstwhile foes to feel respect for and trust in each other. This was made possible by conducting countless joint exercises and operations at sea. US Navy leaders began to realize that this small maritime force, notwithstanding domestic political, constitutional, and legal limitations, does its job well, is reliable, and can be fully trusted. The JMSDF realized that, sharing common interests and values, there was no better navy in the Asia-Pacific region to ally with. Over seventy years of accumulated shared experiences have transformed this into perhaps the most successful navy-to-navy partnership in the world.
The US-Japan maritime alliance today is anchored in this history. Numerous admirals, officers, and sailors of the two navies working together have greatly contributed to the stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region for the past seven decades.
This book is intended for readers interested in the history of US-Japan relations and for naval officers and sailors from the US and other countries. It is the author's sincere desire that they read this book and appreciate the longstanding cooperation between the JMSDF and the US Navy.
About the Author: About the Author of the Book
Naoyuki Agawa is a professor emeritus at Keio University in Japan. He taught the United States Constitution and its history as professor there (1999-2002, 2005-2016) and at Doshisha University (2016-2022), also in Japan. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University (2007-2009) and Vice President of the Keio University as a whole, in charge of international exchanges (2009-2013). Agawa also served as Minister for Public Affairs in charge of public diplomacy, cultural exchanges and media relations at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. during his leave from Keio University (2002-2005). He has written and published a number of books, including Umi No Yūjō (the original Japanese version of this book) and the award-winning American History through the United States Constitution. He also frequently contributes to various academic journals, magazines, and newspapers. Agawa holds degrees from Georgetown University's Law Center and School of Foreign Service.
About the Author of the Foreword
Ian W. Toll is a writer and independent scholar. He is the author of four highly regarded, award-winning works on American military history: Six Frigates, Pacific Crucible, The Conquering Tide, and Twilight of the Gods (the latter three titles are a nonfiction trilogy about the Pacific War and have been translated into Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch). Toll has been widely published in newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe, and has been interviewed on many national and local television and radio programs. He has served as a juror for the National Endowment for the Humanities, a cultural ambassador for the US State Department, and a lecturer at the Naval War College. Prior to beginning work on Six Frigates in 2002, Toll was a Wall Street analyst, a Federal Reserve financial analyst, and a political aide and speechwriter. He received an undergraduate degree (B.A.) in American History at Georgetown University and a Masters in Public Policy (M.P.P.) from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
