Fukuzawa offers a valuable contemporary view of the debates that led to the establishment of the political institutions of imperial Japan. Masterfully translated and set in context by helpful commentary, these essays show Fukuzawa changing his mind even as he stands fast.

Carol Gluck, George Sansom Professor of History, Columbia University in the City of New York, USA

To read this selection of Fukuzawa Yukichi's classic writings on Japan's government is to encounter a master observer, analyst, and advocate of epochal political change in the making. Thanks to the translations and commentary--along with the concise and expert introductory essay--offered in this volume, readers have the chance to follow as Fukuzawa's lively, supple, and powerful intellect grappled over three decades with the question of how Japan's government and people could together create a responsible and responsive polity. We owe a debt of gratitude to Albert and Teruko Craig for this scholarly gift.

Andrew E. Barshay, Professor of History, University of California Berkeley, USA