• International Journal of Management and Decision Making, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 69-84

This article sheds a new light on Japan’s decision to go to war against the USA and Great Britain in 1941 as an example of a disaster of organisastional decision making and a failure of management. The article goes on to highlight the underlying patterns of organisational behaviour and styles of decision making which persist in Japanese government, civil service and companies today.