2023 Spring Semester
－1－
THE FALL OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
Pearl Harbor, the Pacific War, and the Bomb
Section 1
Instructor/Title Booseung CHANG / Professor, Ph.D.
Office/Building #720 Main Building
Office Hours Appointment by email
Contacts (E-mail)
jangboo1@kansaigaidai.ac.jp
【Course Outline / Description】
The empire of Japan practically collapsed at the end of the Pacific War primarily
because the
leaders of imperial Japan started a war that they were not able to win. During the Pacific
War that lasted for four years, 2.7 million Japanese were killed
with many of them
incinerated or forced to kill themselves. Many of them died because the Japanese d
id not
know how to end the war that they started.
It was the Americans who finished the war with
two atomic bombs. It was unfortunate that the Americans used mass killing as a way to
end
the agony of the war, but it was fortunate that, as a result, the Japanese empire fell
. On the
ashes of old Japan, the Japanese built a new Japan, which is continuing to this day. W
ith a
pinch of exaggeration, the Pacific War is to the modern Japan as the Big B
ang is to our
universe. To understand the start and the end of the Pacific War is to comprehend
the origins
of today’s Japan. To this end, this course presents three themes: (1)
why the empire of Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor, knowing that it was hard for Japan
to win a war against the United
States, (2) why the Americans dropped atomic bombs in two Japanese cities,
knowing that
there were women and children, and (3) why the
leaders of imperial Japan did not end the
war earlier, knowing that many of their people were being killed by the American bombs
.
This course will be a
collective intellectual journey to find your own answers to these three
questions.
Section 2
【Course Objectives/Goals/Learning Outcomes】
The goal
of this course is to help students acquire more nuanced and balanced understanding
on the above-mentioned three theme
s. To accomplish this goal, this course introduces various
methods. Articles and other types of
writings written on the themes will be assigned for
reading. Various audio-visual materials will be shared to stimulate appetite for
more
knowledge and better understanding on the themes. Quizzes and
a variety of group
discussion sessions will be administered
during the classes. Students will also be given
chances to write on the themes on their own in the writing sessions.
At the end of the course,
students are expected to speak and write about the
topics of the course with their
independent opinions. They will learn how to discuss such inflammatory
and sensitive issues
as the U.S.-Japan war and the dropping of the atomic bombs
in a prudent and impartial
manner.
Section 3
【Class Schedule/Class Environment, Literature and Materials】
INTRODUCTION
Day 1 [Jan. 25]
Class work
2023 Spring Semester
－2－
Introduction on the course
(08:01) Do Japanese youth know who bombed Pearl Harbor? (A YouTube video taken in Shibuya,
Tokyo): https://youtu.be/iZRKiKi29O0.
(04:48) FDR’s speech to the joint session of the U.S. Congress on December 8, 1941:
https://youtu.be/lK8gYGg0dkE.
Homework
Read the syllabus.
MODULE01: PEARL HARBOR AND THE PACIFIC WAR
Day 2 [Jan. 27]
Class work
Between real and less real Pearl Harbor
(06:14) The Atlantic, The original news footage on Pearl Harbor released by U.S. Navy:
https://youtu.be/A2kSnlS4xX8.
(09:34) Periscope Film, “Japs Bomb USA,” news reel on Pearl Harbor:
https://youtu.be/Z1VT2K_nulA.
(08:13) Periscope Film, “Now it can be shown!”, news reel on Pearl Harbor released in 1942:
https://youtu.be/ISoLLpsWTtE.
(34:16) U.S. National Archives, “December 7
th
,” a John Ford film (1943, a mostly
dramatized propaganda movie on Pearl Harbor attack): https://youtu.be/_uBKVz9k_CM.
This movie won the Academy Award for best documentary in 1944.
(21mins) Japanese attack and dogfight scenes from Michael Bay’s
Pearl Harbor
(2001)
Homework
Watch the video footages.
Day 3 [Feb. 1]
Class work
Japan goes to war (1)
[Audio-Visual Material] The World At War Episode 6: Banzai-Japan goes to war Japan
1931-1942 (Documentary), 52mins.
Britannica, Empire of Japan: Empire of Japan -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
About Japan, Imperial Japan: 1894-1945: About Japan: A Teacher's Resource | Imperial
Japan: 1894-1945 | Japan Society.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
2023 Spring Semester
－3－
Day 4 [Feb. 3]
Class work
Japan goes to war (2)
Readings (Continued from Day 3)
Discussion on why Japan went to war
[20 points] Quiz① and the review.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion and quiz.
Day 5 [Feb. 8]
Class work
The United States goes to war (1)
Allocation of the topics for each student’s presentation on Day 10.
[Audio-Visual Material] The World At War Episode 7: Our Way-USA goes to the Pacific
USA 1939-1942 (Documentary), 52mins.
Britannica, 20
th
century International Relations, British Appeasement and U.S.
Isolationism: https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/20th-century-international-
relations/105970#32887.toc.
Britannica, 20
th
century International Relations, Origins of American belligerence:
https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/20th-century-international-
relations/105970#32904.toc.
Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1937-1945: Japan, China, the
United States, and the Road to Pearl Harbor 1937-41: Milestones: 1937–1945 - Office
of the Historian (state.gov).
Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Milestones 1937-1945, U.S. Isolationism
in the 1930s: Milestones: 1937–1945 - Office of the Historian (state.gov).
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
Day 6 [Feb. 10]
Class work
The United States goes to war (2)
Readings (continued from Day 5)
Discussion on why the United States was reluctant to go to war
2023 Spring Semester
－4－
[20 points] Quiz② and the review.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion and quiz.
Day 7 [Feb. 15]
Class work
The Pacific War: the Clash of Perspectives (1)
Britannica, “Why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor causing the United States to join Allied
forces in World War II” (Video): The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor explained |
Britannica.
Richard J. Smethurst, “Japan, the United States, and the Road to World War II in the
Pacific,” The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol. 10, No. 4, September 9, 2012: Japan, the United
States, and the Road to World War II in the Pacific | The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan
Focus (apjjf.org).
Primary Source Document with Questions: Japanese Ambassador SAITO Hiroshi and on
the conflict in the Far East: japanese_ambassador (columbia.edu).
Primary Source Document with Questions “Some Questions for President Roosevelt” (1939)
by NAGAI Ryutaro: questions_for_roosevelt (columbia.edu).
<Study Questions>
1. What are some of the key questions that historians ask in their efforts to pinpoint
the causes of World War II?
2. What were the "unequal treaties," and why were they so important to Japan
during the Meiji era?
3. What were the two main reforms that Meiji leaders implemented in order to turn
"peasants into Japanese" and why were these reforms considered so necessary?
4. What were the five factors that turned J
apan's relationship with the West from one
of cooperation to one of antagonism?
5. How much resistance was there to Japan's growing militarism? How did the
military silence its critics?
6. Who was Takahashi Korekiyo, and why does the author speak so highly of him?
7. Was World War II (The Pacific War) inevitable?
8. In general, why would a country decide to go to war with another country whose
industrial capacity is nine times larger than its own?
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
Day 8 [Feb. 17]
Class work
The Pacific War: the Clash of Perspectives (2)
Readings (continued from Day 7)
2023 Spring Semester
－5－
Discussion on the
difference in the ways that
the Americans and the Japanese see the
breakout of the Pacific War
[20 points] Quiz
③
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion and quiz.
Day 9 [Feb. 22]
Class work
Attack on Pearl Harbor (1)
[Audio-Visual Material] Days that shook the world (BBC documentary), 2006, 50mins.
Britannica, Pearl Harbor Attack: Pearl Harbor attack -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Yamamoto Isoroku: Yamamoto Isoroku -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Tojo Hideki: Tōjō Hideki -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Nagano Osami: Nagano Osami -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
U.S. Senate, Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack (The Pearl Harbor
Committee), Final Report, June 20, 1946: U.S. Senate: Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl
Harbor Attack.
The National WWII Museum, The Path to Pearl Harbor: The Path to Pearl Harbor | The National WWII
Museum | New Orleans (nationalww2museum.org).
Holocaust Encyclopedia, Pearl Harbor: Pearl Harbor | Holocaust Encyclopedia (ushmm.org).
Atomic Heritage Foundation, Attack on Pearl Harbor – 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor - 1941 | Atomic
Heritage Foundation.
History.com, Pearl Harbor: Pearl Harbor: Attack, Casualties & Facts - HISTORY.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
Day 10 [Feb. 24]
Class work
Attack on Pearl Harbor (2)
[Discussion] Japan’s Quest for Power and World War II in Asia: Japan's Quest for Power and World
War II in Asia | Asia for Educators | Columbia University.
[20 points] Presentation on each assigned topic.
Homework
Prepare for presentation on the assigned topic.
Day 11 [Mar. 1]
2023 Spring Semester
－6－
Class work
Attack on Pearl Harbor (3)
Readings (continued from Day 9 and 10)
Discussion on the Japanese decision-making leading to Pearh Harbor, and the failure on the U.S. part
[20 points] Quiz
④
and the review.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion and quiz.
Day 12 [Mar. 3]
Class work
Group Discussion: Japan’s Motives for Bombing Pearl Harbor, 1941(1)
Questions for the discussion will be distributed within the class.
Homework
Read the readings up to Day 12 and prepare for discussion.
Day 13 [Mar. 8]
Class work
Writing Session: Japan’s Motives for Bombing Pearl Harbor, 1941(2)
Specific questions for the writing task will be distributed within the class.
Students are required to submit the essay before the end of the class.
[40 points] Writing Task: Why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
Homework
Read the readings up to Day 12 and prepare for the writing session; bring a laptop
computer or an electronic device on which you can write your answers.
Day 14 [Mar. 10]
Class work
100 million deaths for honor (1)
[Audio-Visual Material] The World At War Episode 22: Japan 100 million deaths for honor 1941-1945
(Documentary), 52mins.
Britannica, Pacific War (up to Chapter 5. The Aleutians, Rabaul, and the Gilberts): Pacific War --
Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Doolittle Raid: Doolittle Raid -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Battle of Midway: Battle of Midway -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
2023 Spring Semester
－7－
Britannica, Bataan Death march:
Bataan Death March
--
Britannica Academic (eb.com)
.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
Day 15 [Mar. 15]
Class work
100 million deaths for honor (2)
Readings (Continued from Day 12)
Discussion on why Japan lost the war
[20 points] Quiz
⑤
and the review
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion and quiz.
Day 16 [Mar. 17]
Class work
The U.S. strikes back (1)
[Audio-Visual Material] The World At War Episode 23: Pacific-USA strikes back February
1942-July 1945 (Documentary), 52mins.
Britannica, Pacific War (from Chapter 6. The Allied offensive in the Pacific, 1944 to the end
of the article): https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Pacific-
War/629305#337316.toc.
Britannica, Battle of Iwo Jima: Battle of Iwo Jima -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Battle of Okinawa: Battle of Okinawa -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Kamikaze: kamikaze -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
Britannica, Strategic Bombing: strategic bombing -- Britannica Academic (eb.com).
The Asahi Shimbun, "The Great Tokyo Air Raid and the Bombing of Civilians in World War II," The
Asia-Pacific Journal Vol. 8, No. 2, March 15, 2010: The Great Tokyo Air Raid and the Bombing of
Civilians in World War II— | The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus (apjjf.org)
Tony Reichhardt, “The Deadliest Air Raid in History,” Air & Space Magazine, March 9, 2015: The
Deadliest Air Raid in History | Air & Space Magazine| Smithsonian Magazine.
Robert D. Eldridge, “The March 1945 firebombing of Tokyo and the immorality of war,” The Japan
Times, March 9, 2020: The March 1945 firebombing of Tokyo and the immorality of war | The Japan
Times.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
2023 Spring Semester
－8－
<< SPRING BREAK>>
Day 17 [Mar. 29]
Class work
The U.S. strikes back (2)
Readings (continued from Day 16)
Discussion on how the United States won the war
[20 points] Quiz
⑥
and the review
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion and quiz.
MODULE02: THE BOMB AND THE SURRENDER
Day 18 [Mar. 31]
Class work
Decision-makings leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima (1)
Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and Roger
Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part I, 53mins: https://youtu.be/VfanKGiLmfg.
Homework
Watch the documentary movies and prepare for discussion.
Day 19 [Apr. 5]
Class work
Decision-makings leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima (2)
Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and Roger
Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part II, 47mins: https://youtu.be/svomosqPRMw.
Homework
Watch the documentary movie and prepare for discussion.
Day 20 [Apr. 7]
Class work
Decision-makings leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima (3)
Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and
Roger Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part III, 86mins: https://youtu.be/gxFteHcU7Ts.
Homework
2023 Spring Semester
－9－
Watch the documentary movies and prepare for discussion.
Day 21 [Apr. 12]
Class work
Decision-makings leading up to the bombing of Hiroshima (4)
Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara and
Roger Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part III, 86mins: https://youtu.be/gxFteHcU7Ts.
(Continued)
Homework
Watch the documentary movies and prepare for discussion.
Day 22 [Apr. 14]
Class work
Module Introduction
[Audio-Visual Material] The World At War Episode 24: The Bomb-The collapse of the
Empire, February 1945-September 1945 (Documentary), 52mins.
Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s World War II surrender speech (YouTube), 5mins:
https://youtu.be/CiGtQ8mu1qc
Atomic Heritage Foundation, Script: The Jewel Voice Broadcast: The Jewel Voice
Broadcast | Atomic Heritage Foundation
The National Diet Library, The Instrument of Surrender signed on September 2
nd
, 1945:
Instrument of Surrender | Birth of the Constitution of Japan (ndl.go.jp)
The Potsdam Declaration: Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The
Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume II - Office of the Historian
Chapter One,
Embracing Defeat
by John W. Dower, W. W. Norton & Company, 1999:
Embracing Defeat (nytimes.com)
Kokutai, Wikipedia: Kokutai - Wikipedia
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
Day 23 [Apr. 19]
Class work
Discussion on why the Japanese surrender was delayed (1) – The Potsdam Declaration
Asia for Educators, The Potsdam Declaration: potsdam (columbia.edu)
Teaching American History, The Potsdam Declaration: Potsdam Declaration | Teaching American
History
2023 Spring Semester
－10－
[20 points] Quiz and the review
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for discussion.
Day 24 [Apr. 21]
Class work
Discussion on why the Japanese surrender was delayed (2) – a view from the United States
J. Samuel Walker’s Interview on the Surrender of Japan, 73mins: https://youtu.be/uNALM9yb3gY.
Other readings (continued from Day 21)
[40 points] Quiz on the audio-visual material
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for quiz.
Day 25 [Apr. 26]
Class work
Writing Session: Why the Japanese surrender was delayed (3)
Specific questions for the writing task will be distributed within the class.
Students are required to submit the essay before the end of the class.
[40 points] Writing Task: Why delayed? - Japan's delayed response to the Potsdam
Declaration
Homework
Prepare for the writing session; bring a laptop computer or an electronic device on which
you can write your answers.
Day 26 [Apr. 28]
Class work
Should the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? (1) – the views from the U.S. government
Re-Thinking the Dropping of the Atomic Bombs: Lesson 1: Re-Thinking the Dropping of the
Atomic Bombs: Lesson 1 | Harry S. Truman (trumanlibrary.gov).
Six-group discussion and jigsaw activity [10 points]
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for group discussion.
Day 27 [May 10]
2023 Spring Semester
－11－
Class work
Should the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? (2) – the views from the U.S. government, Stimson
Asia for Educators, Stimson, The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb: stimson_harpers
(columbia.edu).
Richard B. Frank, Why Truman Dropped the Bomb: Richard Frank: Why Truman Dropped
the Bomb (warbirdforum.com).
TeachingAmericanHistory.org, Press Release Alerting the Nation About the Atomic Bomb:
Press Release Alerting the Nation About the Atomic Bomb | Teaching American History.
[20 points] Quiz⑨ and the review
Homework
Read the assigned reading and prepare for group discussion.
Day 28 [May 12]
Class work
Group Discussion: Should the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? (3) – Japan Team vs U.S. Team
Asia for Educators, The Atomic Bomb: The Atomic Bomb | Asia for Educators | Columbia
University
Report of the Interim Committee on the Military Use of the Atomic Bomb (May 1945):
interim_committee (columbia.edu)
Report of the Franck Committee on the Social and Political Implications of a
Demonstration of the Atomic Bomb (For a Non-Combat Demonstration) (June 1945):
frank_committee (columbia.edu)
Richard Rice, “Thank God for the Atom Bomb?”,
Education about Asia
Vol. 11, No. 1
(Spring 2006), pp. 10-14: Thank God for the Atom Bomb? - Association for Asian Studies.
George P. Brown, “Learning from Truman’s Decision: The Atomic Bomb and Japan’s
Surrender,” Education about Asia Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring 2006), pp. 20-24: Learning from
Truman's Decision: The Atomic Bomb and Japan's Surrender - Association for Asian
Studies.
Team debate: To drop or not to drop [10 points]
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for group discussion.
Day 29 [May 17]
Class work
Making an online thought museum on the atomic bombs: Your conclusions
Re-Thinking the Dropping of the Atomic Bombs: Lesson 2: Re-Thinking the Dropping of the
Atomic Bombs: Lesson 2 | Harry S. Truman (trumanlibrary.gov).
2023 Spring Semester
－12－
<Study Questions>
1. Is it morally justifiable to target civilians during war?
2. Where was a greater moral threshold crossed, at Tokyo or Hiroshima?
3. To what extent do you believe the dropping of the atomic bombs contributed to the
Japanese surrender?
4. How ought we to remember the atomic bombs and what is their legacy?
5. Do you think an understanding of nuclear fallout would have influenced the
decision to drop the atomic bombs?
6. Do you believe there is any moral difference between the dropping of the 1st vs. the
2nd atomic bomb?
Paul Fussell, “Thank God for the Atom Bomb,”
The New Republic
, August 1981: Fussel -
thank god for the atom bomb.pdf (uio.no).
Masaya Nemoto, “Story of Hiroshima: Life of an Atomic Bomb Survivor,”
Education about
Asia
Vol. 20, No. 2 (Fall 2015), pp. 53-57: Story of Hiroshima: Life of an Atomic Bomb
Survivor - Association for Asian Studies.
Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Atomic Heritage Foundation: Survivors of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki | Atomic Heritage Foundation.
Testimony of Yoshitaka Kawamoto: http://www.inicom.com/hibakusha/yoshitaka.html.
Testimony of Akihiro Takahasi (Video, 38mins): MIT Visualizing Cultures.
Testimony of Sumiteru Taniguchi (YouTube, 22mins): https://youtu.be/ACu4prtWXpc.
James Orr, Hibakusha Testimony as Oral History: Thoughts for Teachers, ABOUT
JAPAN: A Teacher’s Resource, Japan Society: About Japan: A Teacher's Resource |
Hibakusha Testimony as Oral History: Thoughts for Teachers | Japan Society.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for making the thought museum
Day 30 [May 19]
Class work
Making an online memorial on the atomic bombs: How should we remember the dropping of the
atomic bombs?
Group Activity: Online Memorial Project (The reading materials will be provided on Blackboard.)
Asada, Sadao. “The Shock of the Atomic Bomb and Japan’s Decision to Surrender: A
Reconsideration.” Pacific Historical Review 67, no. 4 (1998): 477–512:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3641184.
Homework
Read the assigned readings and prepare for group activity.
【Textbooks/Reading Materials】
You are not required to buy a textbook for this course. You can find the reading materials for this course
either on this syllabus or in the Course Documents section of
B
lackboard.
Y
ou can
also
find the audio
-
2023 Spring Semester
－13－
visual materials (movies and documentaries) for this course either on this syllabus or in the Course
Documents section of Blackboard. For the details of the audio-visual materials, see Appendix I: The List
of Audio-Visual Materials.
This course is paperless in principle. Quizzes are administered on Blackboard. Oftentimes, materials for
discussion will be displayed on the webs. Therefore, students are always required to bring laptops or
tablets to the classrooms.
Notice on the Copyrights of the Materials
All readings, audio-visual materials, PPTs, questions in quizzes used in our course are protected by the
copyright law of Japan. You can use them only for your individual education and training related to the
activities within the course such as lectures, quizzes, and the other tasks assigned on you. Do not share
any materials that you obtained from this course with anyone else except yourself. Also, you must not
show or send those materials to anyone except yourself. Be sure to keep in mind that sharing the
materials with anyone except yourself will be a violation of the copyright law and will be punished
accordingly.
Section 4
【Learning Assessments/Grading Rubric】
Total: 400 (100%)
Final Exam: 80 (20%)
Quizzes or Mid-term Exam: 200 (50%)
Writing and Presentation Assignment: 120 (30%)
For the details of assignments, see Appendix II: The List of Assignments.
Note:
Students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in in-class discussions, presentations, and
debates. Asking questions in this course is particularly recommended. The more questions you raise, the
better students you make.
With respect to the grading, a sliding principle will be applied at the end of the course in order to
approximate the distribution of the final grades among students to a normal curve.
Section 5
【Additional Information】
How to access databases
Please log in here with your student’s ID and PW from KGU, and visit MyLibrary in User Service
on the right hand side of the library website.
The following are available.
JapanKnowledge (concurrent access is possible by 4)
Britannica online Japan
Britannica Online English
Britannica Online French
Britannica Online Spanish
PressReader（concurrent access is possible by 3）
Nikkei BP Academic
Academic OneFile (Gale)
Research Library (ProQuest)
JSTOR
Business Source Premier (EBSCO)
MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO)
2023 Spring Semester
－14－
Depending on the demands and needs of the course, the title and contents of each class and the evaluation
requirements may be subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
2023 Spring Semester
－15－
Appendix I
THE FALL OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
Pearl Harbor, the Pacific War, and the Bomb
The List of Audio-Visual Materials
1. (08:01) Do Japanese youth know who bombed Pearl Harbor? (A YouTube video taken
in Shibuya, Tokyo): https://youtu.be/iZRKiKi29O0.
2. (04:48) FDR’s speech to the joint session of the U.S. Congress on December 8, 1941:
https://youtu.be/lK8gYGg0dkE.
3. (06:14) The Atlantic, The original news footage on Pearl Harbor released by U.S.
Navy: https://youtu.be/A2kSnlS4xX8.
4. (09:34) Periscope Film, “Japs Bomb USA,” news reel on Pearl Harbor:
https://youtu.be/Z1VT2K_nulA.
5. (08:13) Periscope Film, “Now it can be shown!”, news reel on Pearl Harbor released
in 1942: https://youtu.be/ISoLLpsWTtE.
6. (34:16) U.S. National Archives, “December 7
th
,” a John Ford film (1943, a mostly
dramatized propaganda movie on Pearl Harbor attack):
https://youtu.be/_uBKVz9k_CM. This movie won the Academy Award for best
documentary in 1944.
7. (21mins) Japanese attack and dogfight scenes from Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor
(2001): various YouTube videos.
8. (52mins) The World At War Episode 6: Banzai-Japan goes to war Japan 1931-1942
(Documentary).
9. (52mins) The World At War Episode 7: Our Way-USA goes to the Pacific USA 1939-
1942 (Documentary).
10. (50mins)
Days that shook the world
(BBC documentary), 2006.
11. (52mins) The World At War Episode 22: Japan 100 million deaths for honor 1941-
1945 (Documentary).
2023 Spring Semester
－16－
12. (52mins) The World At War Episode 23: Pacific-USA strikes back February 1942-
July 1945 (Documentary).
13. (53mins) Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi
Kurahara and Roger Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part I:
https://youtu.be/VfanKGiLmfg.
14. (47mins) Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi
Kurahara and Roger Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part II:
https://youtu.be/svomosqPRMw.
15. (86mins) Hiroshima (1995 Japanese-Canadian war drama film directed by Koreyoshi
Kurahara and Roger Spottiswoode) English/Japanese, Part III:
https://youtu.be/gxFteHcU7Ts.
16. (52mins) The World At War Episode 24: The Bomb-The collapse of the Empire,
February 1945-September 1945 (Documentary).
17. (5mins) Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s World War II surrender speech (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/CiGtQ8mu1qc
18. (73mins) J. Samuel Walker’s Interview on the Surrender of Japan:
https://youtu.be/uNALM9yb3gY.
19. (38mins) Testimony of Akihiro Takahasi (Video): MIT Visualizing Cultures.
20. (22 mins) Testimony of Sumiteru Taniguchi (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/ACu4prtWXpc.
Appendix II
2023 Spring Semester
－17－
THE FALL OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
Pearl Harbor, the Pacific War, and the Bomb
The List of Assignments [Grand Total: 400]
1. Tasks [Total Points: 120]
A. Presentation on Japan’s Quest for Power and World War II in Asia [20 points]
B. Writing①: Why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor [40 points]
C. Writing②: Why the Japanese surrender was delayed [40 points]
D. Group Discussion②: Should the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? (1) [10 points]
E. Team Debate: Should the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? (2) [10 points]
2. Quizzes [Total Points: 200]
Quiz① Japan goes to war [20 points]
Quiz② The United States goes to war [20 points]
Quiz③ The Pacific War: the Clash of Perspectives [20 points]
Quiz④ Attack on Pearl Harbor [20 points]
Quiz⑤ 100 million deaths for honor [20 points]
Quiz⑥ the U.S. strikes back [20 points]
Quiz⑦ Why the Japanese surrender was delayed – The Potsdam Declaration [20
points]
Quiz⑧ Why the Japanese surrender was delayed – J. Samuel Walker’s interview [40
points]
Quiz⑨ Should the U.S. drop the atomic bomb? [20 points]
3. Final Exam [Total Points: 80]
On the truths and myths surrounding the atomic bombs
Counterfactual questions: Where and how can you change the course of history?
/End/
