Shanghai Times

Author: Matsubayashi Shigeharu
Translator: Cao Zhenxian, Shen Zhongqi, et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: As a book imbued with both nostalgia and reflection, it offers rare insider details, recreating many historically significant scenes of that era. It has been consistently regarded as one of the most important reference materials for reviewing and studying the history of Sino-Japanese relations. The author, a figure in the media and political diplomacy fields, served as the chief advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Konoe and the "private representative in China," known as a "non-factional heavyweight." After being dispatched to Shanghai in 1932, he leveraged his unique status and extensive connections to infiltrate the upper echelons of Chinese society and the political, military, and financial circles of the Kuomintang. He navigated among foreign diplomats stationed in Shanghai, deeply involving himself in the inner workings of Sino-Japanese relations and numerous related international affairs. After the outbreak of the full-scale Anti-Japanese War, he became one of the main planners and participants in the collaborationist activities of the Wang Jingwei regime. With his personal historical perspective and the distinctive style of a journalist, the book narrates this period in detail, vividly recreating many historically significant scenes of that era while disclosing a wealth of previously unknown and highly valuable first-hand materials. It is widely recognized as one of post-war Japan's most substantial political and diplomatic memoirs. The publisher has reached a copyright agreement with the author's descendants, allowing the Chinese translation of this book to be presented to Chinese readers for the first time.