"What do Ramseyer and Rosenbluth contribute to our knowledge with this work? Two things merit attention in our opinion. First, they offer striking data to support their contention that politcal parties demonstrably affected the path of bureaucratic careers during the 1920's and 1930s....Second, we believe that Ramseyer and Rosenbluth are asking some of the right systematic-level questions. How did the system function, and what mechanisms supported its function? How was change achieved in the system? " Joseph Gownder and Robert Pekkanen, Journal of Japanese Studies

• List of tables and figure; Series editors' preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. The collapse of oligarchy: failed attempts at cartel-maintenance; 3. Concession or facade: the Meiji constitution; 4. Electoral rules and party competition: the struggle for political survival; 5. The bureaucracy: who ruled whom?; 6. The courts: who monitored whom?; 7. The military: master of its own fate; 8. Financial politics; 9. Railroad politics; 10. Cotton politics; 11. Conclusion: institutions and political control; Notes; References; Index.