Wings for the Rising Sun Harvard East Asian Monographs 428 Wings for the Rising Sun A Transnational History of Japan ese Aviation Jürgen P. Melzer Published by the Harvard University Asia Center Distributed by Harvard University Press Cambridge (Mas sa chu setts) and London 2020 © 2020 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College Printed in the United States of Amer i ca The Harvard University Asia Center publishes a monograph series and, in coordination with the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the K orea Institute, the Reischauer Institute of Japa nese Stud- ies, and other facilities and institutes, administers research proj ects designed to further scholarly understanding of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and other Asian countries. The Center also spon- sors proj ects addressing multidisciplinary and regional issues in Asia. Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress. Library of Congress Control Number: 2019948105 ISBN 9780674244412 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 9780674244429 (pbk. : alk. paper) Index by Jac Nelson Printed on acid- free paper Last figure below indicates year of this printing 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 To Jun Contents List of Maps, Figures, and Tables xi Acknowl edgments xv Preface xix Note on Sources xxiii Introduction: A New Perspective on Japan ese Aviation History 1 Technology: Transnational Transfer and National Diffusion 2 Mobilizing the Public 4 Aircraft and Statecraft: Aerial Armament and International Diplomacy 5 Part I. Early Japanese Aviation, 1877–1918 1 Power ful Images and Grand Visions 11 Early Gas Balloons: Low Tech, High Risk 13 Japan’s First Balloon Launch 14 Balloon Fever Grips Japan 17 Balloons in the Russo- Japanese War and a Technological Dead-E nd 19 Two Reports about Western Aviation 22 The Road to Japan’s First Motorized Flight 24 Conclusion 37 viii Contents 2 The French De cade 40 The Flying Baron Shigeno 41 The Qingdao Air War: Brief Encounters and a Lasting Myth 44 A Technocrat Shapes His Vision: Kusakari Shirō 50 Inoue Ikutarō: The Army Air Force’s Mastermind 54 The French Aeronautical Mission to Japan 56 Reconsidering the Exclusive Devotion to French Aviation 64 Conclusion 65 Part II. Germany and Japan’s Army Aviation, 1918–37 3 Japan’s Army Aviation in the Wake of World War I 69 Early German Influence, 1919–25 71 The Army’s Strug gle over a New Air Doctrine 80 Squaring the Circle: Disarmament and Airpower Buildup 83 Visions of Internationalism and National Prestige: The “Visit Eu rope Flight” 86 Conclusion 93 4 On the Way to In de pen dent Aircraft Design 96 Industrialists, Engineers, and Teachers 97 German Airliners into Japa nese Bombers: Junkers in Japan 114 The Army’s New Aircraft and the Manchurian Crisis 125 Conclusion 132 Part III. Britain, Germany, and Japan’s Naval Aviation, 1912–37 5 Navigating a Sea of Change 139 Japa nese Observers in Britain during World War I 142 An Early Compromise: Ship-B ased Floatplanes 144 A New Launching Technology 147 Redefining Naval Airpower: The Early Years of Carrier- Based Aircraft 149 The Arrival of the First British Aeronautical Engineers in Japan 151 Contents ix The British Aviation Mission to Japan 154 Conclusion 167 6 Japan’s Naval Aviation Taking the Lead 169 Toward an Autonomous Airpower: Large, All-Metal Flying Boats 170 The Next Generation of Japan ese Aircraft Carriers 183 A Second Generation of Carrier Planes 186 A New Role for Carrier Aircraft: Preemptive Air Strikes 188 Britain’s Waning Influence and a Fateful Legacy 191 Conclusion 194 Part IV. Toward Pearl Harbor and Beyond, 1937–45 7 US Know- How for Japa nese Aircraft Makers 201 Late Japa nese Interest in US Aviation 202 US Aviation Technology Comes to Japan 205 A Craving for US Machine Tools 213 Know Your E nemy: US Assessments of Japan ese Airpower 219 Japa nese Perceptions of the US Aviation Industry 231 Conclusion 232 8 Jet and Rocket Technology for Japan’s Decisive Battle 234 Early Japa nese Experiments 236 German Technology to Japan 238 Japan’s First Rocket Aircraft 241 One More Miracle Weapon: Jet Airplanes 248 The Maiden Flight of the Shūsui 252 The Kikka’s Maiden Flight 254 Suicidal Cherry Blossoms: The Ōka Attack Aircraft 258 Conclusion 260 Epilogue 264 Technology Transfer: C auses, Conduits, and Consequences 265 The Media and the Public: Anx i eties, Exhilaration, and Fervent Nationalism 268 International Relations: From Cooperation to Alienation and Conflict 269 x Contents Transwar Continuities and Postwar Disruptions: Japa nese Aviation after 1945 271 Conclusion 282 Notes 285 Bibliography 313 Index 329