Okuma Shigenobu : stateman of Meiji Japan

{u014C}kuma Shigenobu was one of the most outstanding statesmen in Japan in modern times. He was one of a small group of oligarchs who, through a series of remarkably successful reforms, helped guide Japan into the modern era, and was exceptional in that he consistently urged the adoption of British-style parliamentary government when his colleagues favoured a German model. {u014C}kuma founded Japan's second major political party and can be regarded as the country's first democrat, for he considered the role of public opinion vital to healthy government. Indeed, he founded a major private university to foster an educated electorate. Twice Prime Minister, {u014C}kuma's career spanned both the Meiji and Taish{u014D} periods. The part he played in political and economic reforms and the modernisation of Japan are the focus of this book, which was written in the expectation that it would help Western understanding of a most important period in the history of Japan