"For me, Yukio was quite special. Prime Ministers sought his counsel, valued his advice, and were often guided by his views and suggestions." —Richard L. Armitage As one of the most distinguished and gifted Japanese diplomats of his generation, Yukio Okamoto navigated the corridors of power at the highest levels. In Japan and the United States, Okamoto recounts the compelling story of his diplomatic service and his role as a steadfast advocate for strong Japan-United States relations during an era of political crises, war, and fierce economic competition. Okamoto was born in 1945 just two months after Japan surrendered to the Allies ending World War II. During the war, his father served in the infamous Unit 731, a secret research project that committed horrific war crimes in occupied China. Okamoto was deeply affected by his country's devastation and his family's shame. During his 20-year career in the Japanese Foreign Ministry and after he left government, Okamoto was an indispensable advisor to several Japanese prime ministers including Ryutaro Hashimoto, Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe. He worked tirelessly to strengthen relations with the United States even as other Japanese government officials advocated for the dismantling of the US-Japan Security Alliance. The survival of this alliance is due in no small part to Okamoto's influence. This book features contributions from former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph S. Nye, who both worked with Okamoto and share their thoughts on his life, career, and legacy as an influential friend of the United States.

Rethinking American Disasters is a pathbreaking collection of essays on hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and other calamities in the United States and British colonial America over four centuries. Proceeding from the premise that there is no such thing as a “natural” disaster, the collection invites readers to consider disasters and their aftermaths as artifacts of and vantage points onto their historical contexts.

Presents a chronologically-arranged reference to catastrophic events in American history, including natural disasters, economic depressions, riots, murders, and terrorist attacks.

The United States in the Vietnam War, 1954-1975 is an invaluable reference guide to the costly and controversial war the U.S. waged in Vietnam, over the course of five presidential administrations. Focusing not only on the conflict in Southeast Asia, but also on the tumult the war inspired on the domestic front, Louis Peake provides an authoritative guide to the wide range of media available on the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. From collections of art work and poetry about the soldiering experience, to journalistic accounts of battles, and military training films, the entries consistently provide clear and concise descriptions, allowing the reader to easily identify the value of any particular resource. With revised and updated annotations, and over 150 new entries, this second edition of The United States in the Vietnam War, 1954-1975 is an invaluable reference tool for researchers and students of the Vietnam War. Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies provide concise, annotated bibliographies to the major areas and events in American military history. With the inclusion of brief critical annotations after each entry, the student and researcher can easily assess the utility of each bibliographic source and evaluate the abundance of resources available with ease and efficiency. Comprehensive, concise, and current—Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies are an essential research tool for any historian.