The brilliant and influential statesman, It Hirobumi (1841-1909), and the first prime minister of Japan s modern state, has been poorly understood. This biography attempts to set the record straight about It s thought and vision for Japan s modernisation based on research in primary sources. It outlines It s life: the son of a poor farmer, he showed exceptional talent as a boy and was sent to study in Europe and the United States. He returned home convinced that Western civilisation was the only viable path for Japan. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, It became a powerful...