Huang Tzu-chin, 2012, Chiang Kai-shek and Japan: An Epitome of Modern Sino-Japanese History, 470 pages, Taipei: Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica.

This book examines the relationship between China and Japan through the experiences of Chiang Kai-shek, with special focus on the interactions between Chiang, Japan, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It shows that during the early years of his study abroad in Japan, Chiang became immersed in Japanese culture and developed a pragmatic approach towards life. The book then discusses the policies Chiang set in place to combat the CCP and Japan after the Northern Expedition, as he managed to avoid going to war with both of them at the same time by utilizing the tactic “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. While he began to collaborate with Japan during the April 12 Incident of 1927, this came to a halt after the Mukden Incident, as resisting Japanese aggression became his main policy. Following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Chiang began working with the CCP to defend China against the Japanese. Yet, after the war ended, in order to continue his anti-Communist strategy against the Soviet Union, Chiang Kai-shek decided to overlook Japan’s aggression, establishing a policy of “returning good for Japanese evil.”