Description
In 1961, President Kennedy named Edwin O. Reischauer the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Already deeply intimate with the country, Reischauer hoped to establish a more equal partnership with Japan, which had long been maligned in the American imagination. Reischauer pushed his fellow citizens to abandon caricature and stereotype and recognize Japan as a peace-loving democracy. Though his efforts were often condemned for being "too soft," the immensity of his influence (and the truth of his arguments) can be felt today. Having worked as Reischauer's special assistant in Tokyo, George R. Packard writes the definitive--and first--biography of this rare, charismatic talent. Reischauer reset the balance between two powerful nations. During World War II, he analyzed intelligence and trained American codebreakers in Japanese. He helped steer Japan toward democracy and then wrote its definitive English-language history. Reischauer's scholarship supplied the foundations for future East Asian disciplines, and his prescient research foretold America's missteps with China and involvement in Vietnam. At the time of his death in 1990, Reischauer warned the U.S. against adopting an attitude toward Asia that was too narrow and self-centered. India, Pakistan, and North Korea are now nuclear powers, and Reischauer's political brilliance has become more necessary and trenchant than ever.
George R. Packard writes an informative, insightful, and interesting book about a man who played a critical role both as a scholar and as a diplomat. A fine portrait of the man and his times. -- Gerald Curtis, author of Election Campaigning Japanese Style Edwin O. Reischauer played a pivotal role in US-Japan relations for decades. He also educated a generation of American students and citizens about the contours of Japan's society and the character of its international role. George R. Packard, a member of Reischauer's U.S. Embassy staff, has provided a fascinating portrait of his life-long friend. He offers a detailed biography of Reischauer's personal life, his contribution to U.S. policy toward Japan and Asia, and his influence on America's understanding of its own interests in developments across the Pacific. A great read. -- Michael Armacost, The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University This is more than a well-researched and highly entertaining account of legendary scholar and diplomat Edwin O. Reischauer. It is also a story of modern Japan and the evolution of the U.S.-Japan relationship. From his own vast intellectual, diplomatic, and media experience and personal friendship with Reischauer, George R. Packard provides unusually rich context and deep analytical insight into a fascinating man and the story of two great nations. I have no doubt this will stand as the definitive treatment of Reischauer's life and an enormous contribution to U.S.-Japan relations, enthralling readers on both sides of the Pacific. -- Charles E. Morrison, president, The East-West Center George R. Packard's biography is a perceptive, respectful, and affectionate memoir of a superb scholar and diplomat. Edwin O. Reischauer served America well with his illuminating scholarship at Harvard and inspired diplomacy as ambassador to Japan. Packard has deftly captured his admirable life of service in a lucid and eminently readable book. -- Richard Halloran, former Asia correspondent for the New York Times
About the Author
George R. Packard, president of the United States-Japan Foundation, is the former dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he founded Johns Hopkins's Foreign Policy Institute, The SAIS Review, the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in China. He has been a military intelligence officer, Foreign Service Officer, journalist, scholar, educator, and author. He lives with his wife Lavinia in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
Insightful. -- Jeff Kingston Japan Times This reliable, intimate story of one of the great American citizens of the twentieth century is a joy to read. Harvard Square Library Review A lively account, written with panache, that excels in describing Reischauer's foreign policy ideas and his conflicted views of the Vietnam War. -- Tom Havens Journal of Asian Studies This full-length biography does a commendable job of delving further into this outstanding Japan hand's time and career... Lucidly written... Recommended. Choice
Book Information
ISBN 9780231143547
Author George R. Packard
Format Hardback
Page Count 368
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
George R. Packard writes an informative, insightful, and interesting book about a man who played a critical role both as a scholar and as a diplomat. A fine portrait of the man and his times. -- Gerald Curtis, author of Election Campaigning Japanese Style Edwin O. Reischauer played a pivotal role in US-Japan relations for decades. He also educated a generation of American students and citizens about the contours of Japan's society and the character of its international role. George R. Packard, a member of Reischauer's U.S. Embassy staff, has provided a fascinating portrait of his life-long friend. He offers a detailed biography of Reischauer's personal life, his contribution to U.S. policy toward Japan and Asia, and his influence on America's understanding of its own interests in developments across the Pacific. A great read. -- Michael Armacost, The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University This is more than a well-researched and highly entertaining account of legendary scholar and diplomat Edwin O. Reischauer. It is also a story of modern Japan and the evolution of the U.S.-Japan relationship. From his own vast intellectual, diplomatic, and media experience and personal friendship with Reischauer, George R. Packard provides unusually rich context and deep analytical insight into a fascinating man and the story of two great nations. I have no doubt this will stand as the definitive treatment of Reischauer's life and an enormous contribution to U.S.-Japan relations, enthralling readers on both sides of the Pacific. -- Charles E. Morrison, president, The East-West Center George R. Packard's biography is a perceptive, respectful, and affectionate memoir of a superb scholar and diplomat. Edwin O. Reischauer served America well with his illuminating scholarship at Harvard and inspired diplomacy as ambassador to Japan. Packard has deftly captured his admirable life of service in a lucid and eminently readable book. -- Richard Halloran, former Asia correspondent for the New York Times
About the Author
George R. Packard, president of the United States-Japan Foundation, is the former dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he founded Johns Hopkins's Foreign Policy Institute, The SAIS Review, the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in China. He has been a military intelligence officer, Foreign Service Officer, journalist, scholar, educator, and author. He lives with his wife Lavinia in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
Insightful. -- Jeff Kingston Japan Times This reliable, intimate story of one of the great American citizens of the twentieth century is a joy to read. Harvard Square Library Review A lively account, written with panache, that excels in describing Reischauer's foreign policy ideas and his conflicted views of the Vietnam War. -- Tom Havens Journal of Asian Studies This full-length biography does a commendable job of delving further into this outstanding Japan hand's time and career... Lucidly written... Recommended. Choice
Book Information
ISBN 9780231143547
Author George R. Packard
Format Hardback
Page Count 368
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
