From Foot Soldier to Finance Minister
Subtitle: Takahashi Korekiyo, Japan's Keynes (Harvard East Asian Monographs)
Publisher: Harvard University Asia Center; Harvard University Press; Distributed by Harvard University Press
Published: September 30, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 377
ISBN-13: 9780674026018
Subjects: Geography; Public finance; Biography And Autobiography; Japan - History; Biography & Autobiography; Biography / Autobiography; Biography/Autobiography; Asia - Japan; Business; Political; Biography & Autobiography / Business; Biography; Finance, Public; History; Japan; Statesmen
Description: "From his birth in the lowest stratum of the samurai class to his assassination at the hands of right-wing militarists, Takahashi Korekiyo (1854-1936) lived through tumultuous times that shaped the course of modern Japanese history. Takahashi is considered "Japan's Keynes" in many circles because of the forward-thinking (and controversial) fiscal and monetary policies - including deficit financing, currency devaluation, and lower interest rates - that he implemented to help Japan rebound from the Great Depression and move toward a modern economy." "Richard J. Smethurst's biography underscores the profound influence of the seven-time finance minister on the political and economic development of Japan by casting new light on Takahashi's unusual background, unique talents, and singular experiences as a charismatic and cosmopolitan financial statesman." "Along with the many personal episodes that molded Takahashi and his thinking, the book also highlights four major aspects of Takahashi's life: his unorthodox self-education, his two decades of service at the highest levels of government, his path-breaking economic and political policies before and during the Depression, and his efforts to stem the rising tide of militarism in the 1930s. Weaving together archival sources, personal correspondence, and historical analysis, Smethurst's study paints an intimate portrait of a key figure in the history of modern Japan."--BOOK JACKET.