This episode talks about the story of Hiro Onoda, a Japanese soldier who refused to surrender after the end of World War II and stayed on a Philippine island for nearly three decades. His actions reveal the peculiarities of the Japanese fighting spirit and its transformation after the war.
This episode discusses the concept of the ultimatum that the United States reportedly gave Japan, demanding that they leave China or the US would cut off their raw materials and oil, as well as the Japanese construct that created an artificial time deadline and the role it played in Japan's decision to go to war.
In this episode, the hosts discuss the violent period in Japan's history during which their nationalism and imperialism arose, beginning with their victory in the Sino-Japanese war in 1894 and the Russo-Japanese war 10 years later.
The Japanese culture is intense, complicated, and distinct. They were viewed as fanatics by the allied powers during World War II and have an extreme dedication to their emperor.
The second world war is the first major war where oil is an essential resource. Countries like Japan, which has almost no access to oil, are vulnerable to the squeezing of their suppliers or even intervention from other countries that want to stop their addiction to Chinese resources.