Prelude to imperial restoration -- Civil war and the new army -- Dealing with the samurai -- The Army of Meiji -- To Asia : the Sino-Japanese War -- Back to the continent : the Russo-Japanese War -- Institutionalizing national military strategy -- Short war or total war? -- Conspiracies, coups, and reshaping the army -- The pivotal years, 1937-1941 -- The Asia-Pacific War -- Epilogue