H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online
 
Reviews Home
Subscribe to H-Review
Info. for Publishers
Review Guidelines
Review Standards
Reviews Management
Reviews Planning Committee
 
Browse Reviews
Become an Editor
Advanced Search

The review you are about to read comes to you courtesy of H-Net -- its reviewers, review editors, and publishing staff. If you appreciate this service, please consider donating to H-Net so we can continue to provide this service free of charge.

Prefer another language? Translate this review into
Please note that this is an automated translation, and the quality will vary.



Wakako Higuchi. The Japanese Administration of Guam, 1941-1944: A Study of Occupation and Integration Policies, with Japanese Oral Histories. Jefferson: McFarland, 2013. 336 pp. $49.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0-7864-3978-2.

Reviewed by Andrew Hill (MSUM)
Published on H-War (April, 2013)
Commissioned by Margaret Sankey (Air University)

The Occupation of Guam through the Eyes of the Japanese

Having spent two years working on the island of Guam and studying its occupation through the eyes of its inhabitants, I welcomed Wakako Higuchi's contribution to scholarly work on the Japanese occupation. Higuchi uses primary source documents and oral histories to establish the intent and effectiveness of both the civilian and military occupation of Guam during WWII. Of specific note is his inclusion of oral histories and written documents of individuals who were part of the occupation and integration force, including letters sent  home of one of the teachers who survived.

The text on the occupation administration is divided into three key parts: political, economic, and cultural integration of the island into the wartime Japanese sphere of influence. Unlike other Pacific islands that the Japanese occupied and administered prior to December 1941, Guam was administered by the United States and was considered an occupied territory rather than a Japanese territory. This resulted in a number of differences in how the occupying forces treated the people of Guam and the inhabitants of other Pacific islands. These differences are key in Higuchi's examination throughout the book; he specifically references them several times when discussing the use of Saipanese workers.

As with many works on WWII, this book extensively uses primary sources, including oral histories and interviews with participants. Higuchi's knowledge of both English and Japanese languages allows him to analyze documents from military and civilian sources in Japan. Furthermore, he intersperses a large number of photos throughout the book to assist in emphasizing his points, and includes graphs to show the economic efficiency of the island throughout the occupation.

One missing component in the book is a comparison between islanders' and occupiers' recollections, a topic that could be explored further in future research. I found especially interesting the transcripts of oral history interviews of some of the occupation force. The current theme of Japanese history textbooks suggests that the Japanese were not at fault for the war and that the Japanese military did not engage in any wrongdoing during the war. These points are reflected well in the oral histories, but even more research could be done in this area. Finally, since the information is split into three sections, each following the occupation chronologically, a timeline of events also would have assisted readers.

Overall this text effectively shows the defenders' point of view and adds greatly to a subject that is lacking in resources.

I

the

the

this entry into academic works

goes to some length to 

contemporary sources, 

,

help 

both 

the 

C

are

the

in the book 

some of the 

the 

cut

P

E

C

by the Japanese

of 

between

in contrast to the 

of the Pacific

This

is a 

component of

work

and is 

d

the author 

is able to make 

of 

Having

a much more efficient u

se of 

contemporary 

A

are interspersed 

as well as

helping 

aspect not reflected upon in

and contrast of

versus

. I feel 

this 

a point of interest for

in this area

Of particular note is the

 inclusion of 

I found it very interesting what was said, in what manner, and in particular what was not said during the interviews. 

historical

is to 

there was no 

by the military 

is

is

which is why I feel that

This reviewer also would suggest that the reader have a

available while reading this book. As

the information is split into three sections, each following through the occupation chronologically, it could be beneficial to have a timeline to keep facts better organized.

is a very 

text at 

ing

which

If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at: https://networks.h-net.org/h-war.

Citation: Andrew Hill. Review of Higuchi, Wakako, The Japanese Administration of Guam, 1941-1944: A Study of Occupation and Integration Policies, with Japanese Oral Histories. H-War, H-Net Reviews. April, 2013.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=38466

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
H-Net
Humanities & Social
Sciences Online
in partnership with MSU Department of History
Copyright © 1995-2026 - Contact Us
RSS | Validate: HTML | CSS