[2][3] Perry attended Friends schools in Washington, DC and New York City, subsequently going to Yale College for his bachelor's degree in Chinese Studies, graduating in 1952.

[3][25][17][18] In 1991, the Japanese Government awarded Perry the imperial decoration of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class (Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon), for his contributions to American-Japanese relations.

[25][18][39][40] In 2018 colleagues and students of Perry came together to publish a book in his honor, Eurasia’s Maritime Rise and Global Security: From the Indian Ocean to Pacific Asia and the Arctic.

and Fletcher School Dean James G. Stavridis remarked that the book was created "in celebration" of Perry, with the book's editor Geoffrey F. Gresh further noting that the volume "emerged from a workshop on the future of the world's oceans hosted at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, in the Spring of 2015 to honor the legacy and groundbreaking work of John Curtis Perry".

[44] Raymond A. Esthus compares Perry's style to "sumi-e, the Japanese paintings that portray a scene or suggest a world of feeling with a few skillful brush strokes".

[12] Clayton James said of Beneath the Eagle's Wings: Americans in Occupied Japan "It is a model for brevity, lucidity, coherence, balance, objectivity, and perceptiveness".

These American characteristics might have been reasons for failure, but paradoxically the occupation was an extraordinary success: "a landmark in human history," Perry states.

The technique most widely used by occupation officials was hortatory: advice, counsel, and visits by experts invited to Japan by the supreme commander of the allied powers.

[12][47][48][49][50] Esthus characterized the book as a "fine interpretive portrait of the American experience in occupied Japan", developed with "perception and literary grace",[12] and Clayton James called it a "first rate" account on the occupation of Japan, "demonstrating masterful knowledge of the period and its literature," making it "a delightful brief study that both general readers and teachers in the field will appreciate.

"[13] Alan Miller from The New Republic considered the work an "engaging" book that "doubtless will be a cornerstone for future historians intending to construct the comprehensive study of the Occupation".

[47] On the other hand, Dingman was critical of the work, pointing to a lack of research and citation of sources and the "painting" of a "rosy view of the American occupation", while he still positively evaluated Perry's literary skills.

[54] The authors developed the book for the general reader,[14][55] bringing a comprehensive text that shatters the American sentimentality and replaces it with a realistic historical portrait that highlights the multicultural complexity of East Asian countries.

[4][14][53] Several reviewers noted a lack of bibliography and footnotes,[14][51][52] while others also recommended the book not only for the general public,[52] but also for students,[55] specialists,[54] and policy makers.

[51] Cohen also evaluated the book positively, deeming several of its chapters "superb, (...) well-written, thoughtful, and informative",[55] and Van Alstyne said he was inclined to "second the praise lavished upon it by a number of prominent writers quoted on the dust jacket.

[56] Daniel Yergin from The Boston Globe appraised the work as "lively and thoughtful", and "the result is a wise, literate, illuminating exploration that will be of considerable interest to the curious general reader as well as the specialist".

[54]Gaddis Smith writing for The New York Times lamented the lack of references, by noting that "so fine a book as this should not omit entirely what is often disparaged as 'scholarly paraphernalia.'

[43][59] Perry concluded that, "although Americans failed to grasp the Orient as they hoped, the power of the myth that pushed them there enabled them to do something bigger, something real.

[60][37][61][62] Perry highlights how Singapore is not a purely colonial European creation, but a Malay enclave called Temasek or Singapura, that recent archeological findings show that it goes back seven centuries.

[60][62] Perry explains Singapore's unlikely success[26] for a tapestry of reasons that include its location and geography,[37][63][62] historical luck, complementary cultures, and a deft and pragmatic political leadership and governance.

First it took advantage of regional trade,[62] and with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and its strategic location in the Malacca strait it became the most important port along the world's most busy maritime route.

[37][64] Singapore was fortunate to have its independence in 1965 coincide with a leap in global wealth and integration, and technological advancements in maritime shipping (the large bulk carrier, containerization).

[60] Singapore also embraced its ethnic and cultural diversity, combining the British tradition of stability and openness, while taking advantage of the Chinese entrepreneurial urge and skill.

[37][63][60] Perry describes the founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as authoritarian and ambitious, who commanded respect through the sharpness of his intellect and his tongue, and with the ability to identify extraordinarily talented lieutenants.