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Very good. Size 30.75 x 42.5 Inches. This is a very rare and unusual Japanese portrayal of European military power by Fuchida Tadayoshi - illustrated to support Japanese interest in the increasingly tense situation in Europe, as well as to emphasize to the Japanese public the value of European alliances. It was published as a supplement to the January 1, 1936 (Showa 11), edition of King (ã ã ã °) magazine. The map, along with the included insets, charts, and graphs, describes the military and economic situation in Europe at the time and the relationship of Japan to the emerging European conflict. A Closer Look This map covers the western end of Eurasia, North Africa, the North Atlantic, and the eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States. Soldier figurines, ships, and airplanes represent the ground, sea, and air forces of the United States, Britain, France, Germany (in the North Sea), the Soviet Union, and Italy (in Libya), with the number of troops, ships, and planes written underneath the illustrations. Individual fleets of the various navies are also depicted with a ship outline and red text, noting the types and numbers of ships in each fleet. A note next to legend states that estimations of ground and air forces are based on a 1932 report by the League of Nations, but that military forces of Germany and the Soviet Union had expanded considerably since then. Several inset maps, charts, and tables provide all manner of information on international relations, trade, and economics. At top, over Greenland, a table lists alliances, treaties, and diplomatic agreements between European powers. At bottom-left are projections of (roughly) the Eastern and Western Hemisphere in 145000000 scale. A legend notes symbols indicating roads, railways, sea and air routes, ports, wireless telecommunications stations, cities of various sizes, Japanese consulates and embassies, and geographic features. Two inset maps sit below the legend: the map at right shows Europe's borders before the Great War, while the map at left shows the distribution of ethnicities and 'races' in Europe according to a color-coding system, with Latins as brown, 'Teutons' as red, Slavs as green, Celts as purple, and Asians as yellow. This map reveals the common acceptance of pseudoscientific racial categorizations and scientific racism in Japan at the time. To the right are a series of charts and diagrams with geographic and economic information, including, from top: a comparison of each country's land area, the total population and population density of each country, the national wealth of each country, each country's share of global shipping, and trade statistics for each country. Japan and, in most cases, the U.S. are also included in these tables, though the focus is on Europe. The circular diagram at bottom-right shows Japan's imports (at top) and exports (at bottom) with major European economies (based on 1934 statistics). Overall, Japan ran a trade deficit with Europe and its largest European trading partner was Britain, with whom it had a considerable trade surplus; Germany was a close second, with Japan importing much more than it exported to Germany. The Origins of the Second World War This map was produced at a time when Europe and the world began sliding towards a major conflict, though it did not necessarily appear that way at the time. In retrospect, Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931, gradual occupation of northern China in the mid-1930s, and increasing antagonism towards Great Britain and the United States were major antecedents to World War II in Asia. In Europe, in the months just prior to this map's publication, Italy had invaded Ethiopia and established the Rome-Berlin Axis with Nazi Germany (Japan was already negotiating behind closed doors to join the Axis). The major common factor tying the situations in Asia and Europe together was the Soviet Union, which both Japan and Germany viewed as a malign force dedicated to exporting Communism th. Seller Inventory # Europe-fuchida-1936
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