By Takii Kazuhiro (Professor, University of Hyogo)
Translated by David Noble
2007 / 180 pages / paperback
ISBN 978-4-903452-04-3
Originally published in Japanese in 2003 by Kodansha as Bummeishi no Naka no Meiji Kempo.
2,057 yen / Special price*: 1,440 yen (inclusive of tax)
*Special price is applicable for IHJ members.
Kazuhiro Takii details the formulation of Japan’s Meiji Constitution. He looks beyond the legal codification of the document and shows how the constitution catalyzed the emergence of a modern nation-state. Takii brings a cross-cultural perspective to his analysis. He relates how key leaders of Meiji Japan had experienced the West through fact-finding missions and extended overseas travel and research, and he demonstrates how their international experience shaped the policies and character of the nation-state that they helped build.
Japan’s leaders had witnessed the piecemeal devouring of Qing-dynasty China by Western powers, and they were determined for Japan to avoid a similar fate. Takii describes how they proceeded by assimilating the elements of Western civilization that underpinned constitutional government.