Notice of Holding the 'Political Structure of Modern Japan' Reading Group

Shosukabu.com Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and Chairman: Yutaka Yamanaka; hereinafter "the Company") will hold a reading group themed on "The Political Structure of Modern Japan" (edited by Manabu Arima and Hiroshi Mitani), co-hosted with the Nerima Political Research Group and the Civil Department 8 Monitoring Committee.

This book is a collection of essays published by Yoshikawa Kobunkan in April 1993. It offers a multifaceted examination of modern Japanese politics from five areas: the Diet, political parties, the bureaucracy and the military, thought and movements, and media and politics.

A major feature of this book is that it does not simply tell a unilinear story of modern Japanese politics, such as "party politics" or "the rise of the military," but captures it as a structure in which multiple layers of institutions, organizations, thought, and public opinion formation intertwine. The bibliographic information on CiNii confirms that it covers a wide range of topics, including the independence of the House of Peers, the legislative power of the Imperial Diet, the universal suffrage bill, the regional base of political parties, the reformist faction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ugaki-affiliated military officers, anarchist thought, national socialism, intellectuals and politics, and the dissolution of the Domei News Agency.

In this reading group, we will discuss the institutional development of the Diet and political parties, the roles of the bureaucracy and the military, the relationship between ideological movements and the state, and the interaction between media and politics as main points of discussion. We aim to make this a beneficial place for learning and dialogue for those interested in modern Japanese history, political history, media history, and intellectual history.

Book introduction: https://x.gd/wwvCE

Editor Profiles

Manabu Arima Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University. A historical researcher specializing in modern Japanese history, he has long been engaged in education and research at Kyushu University, serving as a professor and dean of the Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies. In recent years, he has continued his activities as a Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University and serves as the chairman of the Fukuoka City History Editing Committee.

Hiroshi Mitani Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and researcher at the Toyo Bunko. He is a historian specializing in modern Japanese history and comparative history, researching the Meiji Restoration, modern state formation, nationalism, and comparative history of revolutions. On researchmap, he is listed as a researcher at the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko Public Interest Incorporated Foundation and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo.

Event Overview

Theme: "The Political Structure of Modern Japan" Reading Group Organizer: Shosukabu.com Co., Ltd. Co-organizers: Nerima Political Research Group, Civil Department 8 Monitoring Committee Date: Late April 2026 (tentative) Format: Online via Zoom Participation Fee: Free (Pre-registration required) How to apply: Please apply by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject line clearly stating "Desire to participate in The Political Structure of Modern Japan Reading Group".

Lecturer Profile

Yutaka Yamanaka

Born in December 1976, he is an activist investor representing the '76 generation, a painting collector, philanthropist, political activity sponsor, election consultant, policy advisor, social activist, and Akita dog lover. Internationally recognized as an "activist investor who understands technology," he is the first Japanese person in history to achieve an asset formation of over 150 billion yen purely through investment.

In the early 2010s, he focused on NVIDIA, which develops GPGPU and artificial intelligence-related semiconductors, as an investment target. He executed an investment of over 2 billion yen, resulting in a return of more than 100 times, making him the first Japanese person to become a billionaire purely as an investor.

Graduated as valedictorian from the Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. Earned a Master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School (Financial Engineering major) and studied abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) graduate school. Co-representative partner of Investment Brothers LLC, co-founder and Chairman of Shosukabu.com Co., Ltd., and currently a shareholder in over 1,000 listed companies and over 200 unlisted companies worldwide. His investments include Israeli AI startups and Nige