Strategic Culture,Intelligence Assessment,and the Conduct of the Pacific War: The British-Indian and Imperial Japanese Armies in Comparison,1941-1945

Abstract

The article compares the intelligence efforts of the British-Indian and Imperial Japanese armies during the Second World War in the Asia-Pacific theatres. It illustrates how cultural factors enabled the British to establish a more efficient intelligence apparatus than their Japanese counterpart. Whereas the British viewed intelligence as a vital instrument for aiding their war effort, the Japanese tended to scorn its value. The good use of intelligence in turn enabled the British to use their scarce resources to defeat their opponents, whereas poor intelligence led the Japanese to squander their limited strengths.