This account of the Pacific arena in World War II brings fresh insight to the crucial questions: Why did Japan start the war in the Pacific? Why was the U. S. unprepared to meet the challenge? Tracing the history of Japanese aggression from 1853, the author sheds new light on the "China Question," the rape of Hong Kong, the Bataan Death March, and the murder camps of the East Indies. He analyzed Japan's policy of hakko ichiu--all eight corners of the world under one roof--that precipitated their military build-up. Japan's historical rivalry with the U. S. --more recognized there than here--made conflict, if not inevitable, at least probable.