Empires of Spymasters
The Secret War Between the British Empire and Imperial Japan, 1900-1941
Published on 15. October 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-3981-2437-0 (ISBN)
Description
'The Empire is the Master [in the Far East] and they are the guests,' Yamagata Aritomo, the chief imperial strategist in Tokyo, once remarked.
From the early 1900s, Imperial Japan aimed for hegemony in the Far East. During this time, resourceful and independent-minded Japanese spymasters focused on acquiring intelligence of advanced naval and aviation technology.
In London, the War Office and the Foreign Office opted for an alliance treaty with Japan. Nonetheless strategists soon realised that Tokyo was antagonizing Britain in the Far East. The British Empire was deemed weak and overextended. Officials believed that avoiding confrontation with Japan was the only choice, and so Britain condoned Japanese aggression in China. Indeed, pro-Japanese bias influenced official policy at the highest levels.
Only the spymasters of the Secret Intelligence Service, the Admiralty and the Security Service, recruiting spies across the Far East, were able to reveal Japan's hostile intent towards the British Empire. In Empires of Spymasters, Panagiotis Dimitrakis tells us how they did it.
From the early 1900s, Imperial Japan aimed for hegemony in the Far East. During this time, resourceful and independent-minded Japanese spymasters focused on acquiring intelligence of advanced naval and aviation technology.
In London, the War Office and the Foreign Office opted for an alliance treaty with Japan. Nonetheless strategists soon realised that Tokyo was antagonizing Britain in the Far East. The British Empire was deemed weak and overextended. Officials believed that avoiding confrontation with Japan was the only choice, and so Britain condoned Japanese aggression in China. Indeed, pro-Japanese bias influenced official policy at the highest levels.
Only the spymasters of the Secret Intelligence Service, the Admiralty and the Security Service, recruiting spies across the Far East, were able to reveal Japan's hostile intent towards the British Empire. In Empires of Spymasters, Panagiotis Dimitrakis tells us how they did it.
Reviews / Votes
'This fascinating book reveals the security relationships between Britain and Japan in the four decades leading up to the outbreak of war in December 1941. Although explaining the structures of the intelligence war upon which both sides were engaged during this period, it also reveals the otherwise poorly understood political and grand strategic dimensions of the relationship between the two countries, exposing to the light the long and sorry story (especially) of British failure to fully understand what was going on in Japan, and to act on it. This is a very well told story, and is heartily recommended for anyone interested in the long run up to Japan's adventures in the Pacific and south east Asia after 1941.' -- Robert Lyman, author of A War of Empires: Japan, India, Burma and Britain, 1941-1945 'An assiduous miner of neglected archives, the author has produced a fascinating book of intriguing characters - the brother of Graham Greene who belongs in one of his novels and Lord Sempill, a distinguished flyer, fascist sympathiser and Japanese agent - but also - if you substitute China for Japan - an important book and warning about intelligence failures and possible future conflicts in South East Asia.' -- Stephen Dorril, author of MI6: Fifty Years of Special OperationsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chalford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
20 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 243 mm
Width: 167 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
614 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3981-2437-0 (9781398124370)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Panagiotis Dimitrakis is an historian and completed his PhD in War Studies at King's College London. He was educated at the Department of Mass Media and Communication of the University of Athens and received an MA in International Peace and Security from King's College London. His interests lie in the history of international diplomacy, intelligence and strategy. He lives in Athens, Greece and is a member of the UK Society of Authors.