ABSTRACT
Because of historical circumstances, modern Japanese elite typically understood Japan’s place in the world in the context of a triad of Japan, the West, and the rest of Asia. In this tripartite comparison, the Japanese elite typically saw Japan as having exited Asia and joined Europe, or as being the leader of the Orient by virtue of its successful modernization. Even though Japan, in association with its Axis allies, sought to destroy the international order in the 1930s and early 1940s, Japan’s revolt was essentially an attempt to replicate Western successes in building a powerful, expansive empire.
