Dr. Miyakawa was educated in America and returning to Japan became interpreter for the imperial army. He reveals intimately “to millions of American homes” a knowledge of Japan and Japanese conditions. The book is dedicated to Commodore Perry whom the author calls the “national redeemer of Japan.” “The bulk of the book is devoted to tracing the rapid growth of Japan since the making of the treaty with the United States, in the reform of its financial system, in the development of its domestic industry and its foreign commerce, the expansion of its army and navy, the establishment of a constitutional form of government, and the adoption of American methods in education and journalism.” (N. Y. Times.)
“For the most part, however, the book is accurate and well suited to the needs of readers who do not care to go deeply into the subjects treated.”
| + | Dial. 43: 290. N. 1, ’07. 250w. | |
| N. Y. Times. 12: 536. S. 7, ’07. 1000w. |
Miyakawa, Masuji. Powers of the American people. Congress, president, and courts. *$3. N. Hayes, cor. N. Y. ave. & 15th st., Washington, D. C.
A manual of instruction which points out the various powers and duties which are imposed by the constitution, written by a Japanese attorney—the first to be admitted to the American bar.
“To the average American student, the book is a primer of the simplest type. To the foreign lawyer who wishes to become familiar with the theoretical side of our government the book will be of considerable assistance, but to a foreign business man or a foreigner studying modern institutions, the book is of little value, for it lives in the dim, forgetful past, not in the pulsing present.”
| + − | Ann. Am. Acad. 29: 643. My. ’07. 320w. |
“While there are some imperfections in the style, and while for the general reader the book would be more valuable if it had undergone revision by an English scholar, it is a remarkably clear and comprehensive statement of the fundamental principles of our American constitution and might well be commended to the lay reader who desires to obtain a nonpartisan impression and scholarly view of the nature of our government and the functions of its various departments.”