This unique book based on hitherto unused Japanese sources tells the story of the Pacific War from the viewpoint of the Japanese themselves, focusing on both the celebrated and lesser-known sea battles. The author has traced the development of the war back to its first causes—the economic, political, and cultural forces that led, step by step, to the devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the quick establishment of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Then the account turns to the slow disintegration of the Imperial Japanese Navy, no longer invincible once its original defense perimeter was extended beyond the range of land-based air cover. The author has focused his efforts on the major surface engagements of the war—Coral Sea, Midway, the crucial Solomons campaign, and the last-ditch battles in the Marianas and Philippines. The account is supplemented by detailed track charts, also derived from Japanese sources, and by a selection of Japanese photographs of major vessels and actions.