Kiichi Miyazawa, prime minister from 1991 to 1993 was at the center of Japanese politics from 1942 when he entered the Finance Ministry until 2003, when he retired from the House of Representatives. No Japanese prime minister was as skilled in English or kept up better on economic matters in the West. He played a key role during the Allied Occupation, in negotiations with the United States during the period of economic tensions. He worked with U.S. presidents from Jack Kennedy to William Clinton. His close relatives included a member of the House of Representatives (his father and nephew), the first Japanese ambassador to China after normalization in 1972 (cousin), governor of Hiroshima (brother). He was especially close to Ikeda Hayato (also from Hiroshima) and Ohira Masayoshi (same faction). As prime minister he approved the visit of the Japanese Emperor to China in 1992. By nature he was modest, honest, straight-forward. We are fortunate that he gave an oral account of his own history, available here in an excellent translation by Timothy George. * Ezra Vogel, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University, USA *
Miyazawa Kiichi was one of Japan's most distinguished statesmen from the immediate post-war period until his death in 2007. He occupied several of the most important offices of State, having been Prime Minister between 1991 and 1993, and Minister of Finance for extended periods. His reminiscences, ably translated here by Professor Timothy George, present the experiences, outlook and general philosophy of a liberal and internationalist practitioner of the political arts, who had a major influence on the formation of Japanese economic policy, and represented the moderate wing of the broadly conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In contrast to the situation since December 2012, where the balance of forces in the LDP have swung towards hard-line nationalism, Miyazawa, having experienced wartime Japan, was at ease with the 'Peace Constitution' and the benefits that cautious and non-provocative foreign and defence policies brought for his country. This book indicates how much has changed, and not necessarily for the better. * Arthur Stockwin, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, UK *
Kiichi Miyazawa, prime minister from 1991 to 1993 was at the center of Japanese politics from 1942 when he entered the Finance Ministry until 2003, when he retired from the House of Representatives. No Japanese prime minister was as skilled in English or kept up better on economic matters in the West. He played a key role during the Allied Occupation, in negotiations with the United States during the period of economic tensions. We are fortunate that he gave an oral account of his own history, available here in an excellent translation by Timothy George. * Ezra Vogel, Harvard University, USA *
