"Gerald Curtis has personally known most of the key players in Japanese politics for more than thirty years, and he draws on their candid comments to provide invaluable and graphic insights into the world of Japanese politics. By relating the behavior of Japanese political leaders to the institutions within which they must operate, Curbs makes sense out of what others have regarded as enigmatic or illogical."--BOOK JACKET.

"Curtis rejects the notion that cultural distinctiveness and consensus are the defining elements of Japan's political decision making emphasizing instead the competition among and the profound influence of individuals operating within particular institutional contexts on the development of Japan's politics."--BOOK JACKET. "Scrutinizing and interpreting a complex and changing political system, this multi-layered chronicle reveals the dynamics of democracy at work - Japanese-style."--BOOK JACKET.