[The World is Rhyming with 100 Years Ago] US-China Confrontation, Taiwan Strait Tensions... 'Dialogue with Tanzan Ishibashi' Published to Guide Our Course in an Era of Crisis Through Historical Lessons

Toyo Keizai Inc. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Tetsuya Yamada) will release the book "Dialogue with Tanzan Ishibashi" on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

Book: "Dialogue with Tanzan Ishibashi"

Why is "Tanzan Ishibashi" Gaining Attention Now? -- "Speech of Resolve" Needed in an Era of Crisis

Rising geopolitical risks, value divisions, a chaotic international order--. In this "era of crisis" that we face today, Tanzan Ishibashi, who consistently advocated "liberalism" and sounded the alarm even during a period of intense censorship through two World Wars and the post-war era. His words, over 100 years later, deliver a sharp warning to us today.

The world resembles the era of 100 years ago. Something, somewhere, rhymes...

I, for one, but wasn't it in the 2010s that people began to have such thoughts?

Economic stagnation and widening income inequality, drastic changes in the media environment and the intensification of populism and nationalism, the shaking of liberalism and democracy--these are occurring simultaneously worldwide, especially in advanced industrial nations. Are these not the very challenges we experienced and failed to overcome "in that era"?

(From the "Afterword" of this book by editor Yoichi Funabashi)

How did he discern the essence and construct his unwavering, unique arguments amidst the militarism of pre-war Japan and the turbulent waves of the post-war international community? By deeply examining Ishibashi's foresight and problem awareness from a modern perspective, this book reveals "hints for escaping the current crisis."

This book, edited by Yoichi Funabashi (former chief editor of The Asahi Shimbun), features a total of 10 expert contributors from various fields including politics, economics, geopolitics, international order, and democracy. They re-examine Ishibashi's writings from a contemporary viewpoint, drawing historical lessons to guide our future course.

Why did liberalism fail? It is because people forgot the self-evident axiom that freedom can only exist with order. Without order, there is no freedom for all. Liberalism is, above all, a concept of order and a principle of organization. Political action to foster it must be carried out daily. Freedom is neither a given nor a condition.

(Omitted)

"Freedom, needless to say, does not mean selfishness. Selfishness never grants freedom to humans. Therefore, freedom in the true sense of liberalism must be freedom that respects the certain order and discipline necessary for social life, and that one freely accepts as one's duty."

Ishibashi would reiterate this idea of "freedom that one freely accepts as one's duty" after the war, when the draft of the new constitution was announced. He criticized the draft, stating that although "the managers of the state in a democratic country are the people themselves," the new constitution "is not thorough in its provisions for the people's duties as managers."

Only when the people are aware of their role as managers of the state can they fully utilize the organizational principles of liberalism. Popular sovereignty is fragile when the people grasp only rights and neglect their duties. In times of national crisis, the government must overcome it together with the people who have a sense of ownership (as "managers of the state").

(From the "Introduction" of this book by editor Yoichi Funabashi)

Who was Tanzan Ishibashi (1884-1973), who consistently anticipated the times?

Tanzan Ishibashi (1884-1973) was a politician and journalist who served as the 55th Prime Minister of Japan.

Born in Tokyo in 1884, he graduated from the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Letters, Waseda University in 1907. He joined Toyo Keizai Inc. in 1911, became the chief editor of "The Toyo Keizai Shimpo" in 1924, and assumed the presidency in 1941. After the war, he entered politics, serving as Minister of Finance in the first Yoshida cabinet and Minister of International Trade and Industry in the Hatoyama cabinet, before winning the first prime ministerial election by popular vote within the Liberal Democratic Party in December 1956.

Even during a period of intense censorship, he consistently pursued his unique "liberalism" based on thorough realism throughout his life, unswayed by any particular ideology.

Before the war, while Japan was celebrating territorial expansion, he was the first to advocate "Small Japanism," calling for the abandonment of colonies and the establishment of a peaceful economic power, a foresight that reflected his realism. In today's Japan, shaken by crisis, his words carry significant weight.

Tanzan Ishibashi

Table of Contents

Introduction

"Recent Social Conditions Are Not Ordinary" - Yoichi Funabashi Chapter 1

A Utilitarian Approach to the New Order - Chisako Masuo

Chapter 2

Neither Following the U.S. nor Confronting It - Seiko Mimaki

Chapter 3

"Small Japanism" and the View of China - Takashi Okamoto

Chapter 4

The Transition and Reality of East Asian Geopolitics - Yasuaki Chiba

Chapter 5

Seeking Alternatives for Japanese Diplomacy - Masaya Inoue

Chapter 6

Populism of Ultranationalism and Ultra-Individualism - Kiyoteru Tsutsui

Chapter 7

The Importance of Realist Politics - Shiro Sakaiya

Chapter 8

Economic Thought Based on the Productivity of the People - Kuniaki Makino

Chapter 9

Defending the Liberal International Order - Yuichi Hosoya

Author Profiles

Yoichi Funabashi [Editor] Born in Beijing in 1944. After graduating from the University of Tokyo's College of Arts and Sciences, he joined The Asahi Shimbun.

Served as Beijing correspondent, Washington correspondent, Bureau Chief for the Americas, and columnist, before becoming Chief Editor of The Asahi Shimbun from 2007 to December 2010. Doctor of Law.

In September 2011, he established the independent think tank "Japan Reconstruction Initiative" (renamed "Asia Pacific Initiative" in July 2017) and serves as its Chairman.

In July 2022, it merged with the International House of Japan, Inc., and he became Global Council Chairman.

Chisako Masuo [Contributor]

Professor, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University

Seiko Mimaki [Contributor]

Professor, Graduate School of Global Studies, Doshisha University

Takashi Okamoto [Contributor]

Professor, Faculty of Education and Integrated Sciences, Waseda University; Professor Emeritus, Kyoto Prefectural University

Yasuaki Chiba [Contributor]

Associate Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Nihon University

Masaya Inoue [Contributor]

Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University

Kiyoteru Tsutsui [Contributor]

Professor, Department of Sociology, Stanford University

Shiro Sakaiya [Contributor]

Professor, Graduate School of Law and Politics, The University of Tokyo

Kuniaki Makino [Contributor]

Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University

Yuichi Hosoya [Contributor]

Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University

Book Overview

"Dialogue with Tanzan Ishibashi" Yoichi Funabashi (Editor) / Chisako Masuo (Contributor) / Seiko Mimaki (Contributor) / Takashi Okamoto (Contributor) / Yasuaki Chiba (Contributor) / Masaya Inoue (Contributor) / Kiyoteru Tsutsui (Contributor) / Shiro Sakaiya (Contributor) / Kuniaki Makino (Contributor) / Yuichi Hosoya (Contributor)

Price: 3,300 yen (tax included)

Release Date: July 1, 2026

ISBN: 978-4-492-06229-6

Format: 46 size / Hardcover / 312 pages

Publisher: Toyo Keizai Inc.

Toyo Keizai Store Site: https://str.toyokeizai.net/books/9784492062296/

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4492062297/