Honorable Death: Why Japanese Soldiers Fought to the Death in the Pacific War

Why did Japanese soldiers fight with such ferocious determination in the Pacific War? Why did they choose death over surrender, even when defeat was inevitable?

Honorable Death explores the powerful cultural, military, and psychological forces that drove Japanese soldiers to embrace gyokusai-fighting to the last man. From the Bushido warrior code to the brutal realities of Imperial Japanese Army indoctrination, this book reveals how ordinary men were transformed into soldiers who viewed deat...