Spanning Japan’s Modern Century

Hugh Borton taught at Columbia University and later served as President of Haverford College. He authored a number of seminal works on Japan, including Japan's Modern Century (1955).

In 1942, Hugh Borton, then a 39-year-old assistant professor of Japanese history, was called to serve in the State Department. Here he rose rapidly to become one of the principal architects of United States policy toward post-war Japan. Drawn from Borton's personal papers, this work provides a fresh and intimate picture of the man who played a pivotal role in defining the meaning of unconditional surrender for Japan, retaining the Emperor, and designing Japan's post-war constitution. It sheds new light on the development of the United States' post-war Japanese policy and the often-fractious relationships between the various agencies tasked with its creation and implementation. The author of Japan's Modern Century, director of Columbia University's East Asian Institute, and later president of the Association for Asian Studies, Hugh Borton dedicated his life to strengthening the academic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between Japan and the United States.

Part 1 Foreword Chapter 2 Growing up a Quaker Part 3 In Japan with the American Friends Service Committee, 1928-1930 Chapter 4 First Impressions Chapter 5 The Growing Crisis Part 6 Preparing for a Career in Japanese Studies, 1931-38 Chapter 7 Graduate Study at Columbia, Harvard, and Leyden Chapter 8 Research and Apprehension: Tokyo, 1935-1936 Part 9 Teaching in a Time of Crisis, 1938-1942 Chapter 10 On the Columbia Faculty Chapter 11 The Demands of War Part 12 Wartime Service in Washington, 1942-1945 Chapter 13 Early Postwar Planning Chapter 14 Strenghtening the Peace Planning Structure Chapter 15 Defining Unconditional Surrender for Japan Chapter 16 Japan's Surrender Part 17 Making Policy for Postwar Japan and Korea, 1945-1947 Chapter 18 Problems of Occupation Chapter 19 Revising Japan's Constitution Chapter 20 Difficulties in Korea Chapter 21 Japan and Korea under Occupation Chapter 22 Barriers to Peace with Japan Part 23 Return to Columbia, 1948-1956 Chapter 24 Life at Hidden Springs Chapter 25 Japan Revisited, 1951-1952 Chapter 26 Japanese Studies at Columbia Part 27 Home to Haverford, 1957-1967 Chapter 28 The Challenges of a College President