Less scandal than haiku

Yasuhiro Nakasone was one of the most controversial Japanese prime ministers of the postwar era. Elected to parliament in 1947, at the age of 28, he gained his reputation as a radical nationalist by presenting General MacArthur, the head of the occupation forces, with a "petition" setting out "What the Japanese are thinking". It was a damning indictment of the Japanese government's subservience to America and a blueprint for post-occupation Japan. The petition is reproduced in this book and sets out what was to become Nakasone's personal nationalist manifesto. This included revision of the American "imposed" constitution, full participation of Japan in the United Nations, limited rearmament and a reassertion of national pride by removing any feelings of war guilt.

Born into a well-to-do family of timber merchants, Nakasone was clearly eager for power. He won a place at the prestigious law faculty of Tokyo Imperial University and spent a period of time in the home ministry before entering politics. The sense of frustration with the junior bureaucrat's life shines through this account almost as much as his naked ambition to succeed in politics. His father's opposition to this was swept aside with the same confidence that Nakasone displayed throughout his years in politics.

In his early career he was seen as something of a maverick who, preoccupied with challenging postwar defence orthodoxy, was on the fringes of mainstream Liberal Democratic Party politics. In a party that is neither liberal nor democratic, these views, which made him popular with the Japanese public, were seen by party leaders as potential liabilities and slowed his progress to higher office. But eventually Nakasone emerged as leader of the ruling LDP and became prime minister from 1982 to 1987. His charismatic leadership was unique among Japanese postwar prime ministers, as was his willingness to court controversy in pursuit of his nationalist agenda.

The complexities of Nakasone and Japanese politics demand more analysis than this book provides. It is a record of his life, uncritical and devoid of the insight, gossip and character assassinations we have come to expect in the western tradition of political autobiography. As if to underline this difference, haiku poems written by Nakasone are scattered throughout. The translation has retained the essential Japanese quality of the text by not remastering the tone and tedium to suit a western audience. Compulsive reading it is not, but as a historical document for political scientists and Japanologists it is important.

Meryll Dean is senior lecturer in law, University of Sussex.