Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation, 1868-2000 explores the changes in the political process which lay behind Japan’s transformation into a modern nation state; its successive turn toward militarism, fascism, and the Pacific War; and the imposition of a fully democratic constitution. Sims examines closely such central topics as the Meiji renovation, samurai modernisers, the rise of liberal political parties, the Meiji constitution, "Taisho democracy," the wartime changes in the political system, postwar reforms and the "reverse course", four decades of Liberal Democratic rule, and the shake-up of Japanese politics during the 1990s. No other book has covered Japanese political history over the entire period since 1868 in such detail, and the present volume aims to fill the gap between the various general histories of modern Japan and the ever-increasing monographic literature.

Richard Sims has taught Modern Japanese History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, since 1966. His previous books include Modern Japan (1973) and French Policy towards the Bakufu and Meiji Japan, 1854-1895 (1998).

The Meiji Renovation The Consolidation of the Meiji State and the Growth of Political Opposition, 1878-1890 The Constitutional Experiment and the Beginning of Compromise Politics, 1890-1905 Political Party Consolidation, Oligarchic Reaction and the Emergence of New Forces, 1905-1918 Party Cabinets, Radical Movements and the Collapse of Taisho Democracy, 1918-1932 The Pursuit of Greater National Unity and the War State, 1932-1945 The Postwar Reshaping of Japanese Politics, 1945-1952 The '1955 System' and the Era of LDP Dominance, 1952-1993 The Shake-up of Japanese Politics, 1993-2000

The Meiji RenovationThe Consolidation of the Meiji State and the Growth of Political Opposition, 1878-1890The Constitutional Experiment and the Beginning of Compromise Politics, 1890-1905Political Party Consolidation, Oligarchic Reaction and the Emergence of New Forces, 1905-1918Party Cabinets, Radical Movements and the Collapse of Taisho Democracy, 1918-1932The Pursuit of Greater National Unity and the War State, 1932-1945The Postwar Reshaping of Japanese Politics, 1945-1952The ‘1955 System’ and the Era of LDP Dominance, 1952-1993The Shake-up of Japanese Politics, 1993-2000