Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy

This book examines Japanese wartime zoo policy during World War II, analyzing the reasons why the Home Ministry destroyed more than 300 showpiece animals throughout Japan well before U.S. air strikes were anticipated, with international comparisons of the effects of the war on zoos in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East.

"This is a very important policy area that has not been addressed in the English-speaking world. The material in the opening chapter on the plight of zoo animals in Haiti, Baghdad, and Kabul puts the experiences of WWII zoos in Asia and Europe in a new light and makes one wonder whether humans ever learn from past mistakes. The author has done a wonderful job of researching and documenting this subject. I have absolutely no doubt that this is a definitive study in this area. It is simply one of the best researched and documented books I have ever seen and is truly an original piece of policy research." - Ronald Hrebenar, Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of Asian Studies, University of Utah

"This is an excellent account of a little known and sad aspect of zoo history. With a review of zoo history in Japan and the fate of zoo animals throughout the world during WW II, it puts the fate of Japanese zoos in context with unsettling detail. As a result of difficult and important research, the author has uncovered and presented the effects of war on yet another cultural institution, along with the lack of respect shown for these zoo collections and what the collections represented. It is a significant contribution to the field of zoo and aquarium history." - Vernon Kisling, Chair, Marston Science Library, University of Florida, and editor, Zoo and Aquarium History

"This is a well-researched volume which fills a niche in any and every zoo history archive." - Zoo Grapevine

M. ITOH is a former Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA.