In Post-war Japan as a Sea Power, Alessio Patalano incorporates new, exclusive source material to develop an innovative approach to the study of post-war Japan as a military power. This archival-based history of Asia''s most advanced navy, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), looks beyond the traditional perspective of viewing the modern Japanese military in light of the country''s alliance with the US. The book places the institution in a historical context, analysing its imperial legacy and the role of Japan''s shattering defeat in WWII in the post-war emergence of Japan as East Asia''s ''sea power''.