Wings for the Rising Sun: A Transnational History of Japanese Aviation by Jürgen P. Melzer (review)

When you think of Japanese aviation, what comes to mind? Modern passenger jet planes with the names of JAL or ANA on them? Or something more historical, such as the Zero fighter or the infamous kamikaze planes? Of course, there is much more to aviation and Japan than images such as these. Indeed, Jürgen Melzer's excellent study is not really concerned with either of them and points to why the study of Japan's aviation world is of importance to those studying a much wider range of issues.

Having spent more than 20 years researching aspects of the transportation world in relation to Japan, I find that one source of constant frustration has been that, regardless of what studies have actually covered, many people tend to assume that transportation-related studies are not relevant to their own work, whether such studies involve trains or planes. Many seem to assume that such subjects are not likely to have wider relevance or that the works will be overly concerned with engineering-related issues, for example. This situation needs to change, and Melzer's study is a prime example of why. While the book contains a wealth of information about engineering and design, these are by no means the main thrust of the work.

The book itself is split into four main parts, covering different periods in the development of the aviation industry in Japan, 1877–1918, 1918–37, 1912–37, and 1937–45, respectively. The parts are primarily concerned with the shifting influences of other countries on Japan's aviation industry, and there is some overlap in the chronology of the parts rather than neat changes between the various countries. Indeed, part 3 shows the influence of two countries (Britain and Germany) at the same time. But the book is not merely about foreign influence. It also highlights the importance of the Japanese government, Japanese industry, and the Japanese media. Ultimately, Melzer argues that these various actors along with certain key countries (or companies within them), as well as external pressures and developments, shaped the development of the Japanese aviation industry.

The title of the book is both helpful and, to some degree, misleading. From the subtitle, "A Transnational History of Japanese Aviation," it may be fair to assume that the book covers the whole history of Japanese aviation. It does not. Although there is a chapter, entitled "Epilogue," that fills in some key issues from 1945 to the present day, the book is primarily concerned with the period up to 1945. While the "Epilogue" is an interesting addition, it was perhaps unnecessary as it suffers from not presenting a full picture of the domestic (let alone international or transnational, in terms of flights rather than plane manufacture) passenger or freight market, or of the constant battle that many face when passages in the text are outdated by the time a book is published or read (this applies particularly to the section discussing the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, as it was still called at the time the book was written).

My personal knowledge of the Japanese aviation world is based much more on the period the book does not cover in detail—i.e., the contemporary and recent history (such as the JAL flight JL123 crash of 1985). However, a general interest in aviation and the need for all of us in Japan studies to include more transnational approaches to our research and teaching attracted me to this book. My knowledge of the pre-1945 Japanese aviation world was based largely on the image mentioned near the beginning of this review and knowledge that the first plane flight in the world, albeit only about 36 meters long, happened in Japan, in 1891 some 12 years before the Wright brothers' flight which is widely credited as being the world's first powered flight. Sadly, I have never managed...