1964: The Greatest Year in the History of Japan by Roy Tomizawa

1964: The Greatest Year in the History of Japan by Roy Tomizawa

Japan was a physical and psychological wasteland at the end of World War I. With over 3 million dead, 39 percent of city populations homeless, 40 percent of all urban areas flattened, 80 percent of all ships destroyed, and 33 percent of all industrial machine tools rendered inoperable, the country was devastated and demoralized.

And yet, just 19 years later, Japan stood proud--modern, peace-loving, and open--welcoming the world as the host of the 1964 Olympics, the largest global event of its time.

In 1964--The Greatest Year in the History of Japan, Roy Tomizawa chronicles how Japan rose from the rubble to embark on the greatest Asian economic miracle of the 20th century. He shares stories from the 1964 Olympics that created a level of alignment and national pride never before seen in Japan, leaving an indelible mark in the psyche of the Japanese for generations.

Roy Tomizawa celebrated his first birthday on the opening day of the 1964 Olympics. His father worked with the NBC News crew that broadcast those games to homes in the United States. As far back as he can remember, Roy has been a fan of the Olympics. A year after Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympics, Roy went searching for an English-language book that chronicled the 1964 Olympics-but he couldn't find one. As a former print journalist, Roy decided to combine his love of the Olympics and his knack for writing and chronicle the event that symbolized the determination of the Japanese to survive and thrive after World War II.