IKKI KITA SOCIALIST SELECTIONS: ARTICLES AND LETTERS FROM 1906 TO 1937

Ikki Kita

May 2025 · Ryota Nakanishi

About this ebook

This is the first English collection of the Japanese revolutionary Ikki Kita(1883-1937)'s works. It includes articles, letters, comments, and related analysis. Some of the works in the collection are: The Theory of Japan's National Polity and Pure Socialism (1906), An Informal History of the Chinese Revolution (1915–1916), Here are some documents that outline Japan's reorganization after World War I:

- An Outline Plan for the Reorganization of Japan (1919)

- A Supreme Judgment on the Versailles Conference (1919)

- Open Letter to Adolf Joffe (1923)

- A Proposal Regarding the Implementation of Diplomatic State Policy (1932)

- A Proposal for a Joint U.S.-Japan Foundation for China (1935) and other English translations from the final years of Ikki Kita (1936-1937).

About the author

Ikki Kita (1883-1937) is widely regarded as the most revolutionary thinker in Japan during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods, as well as the era preceding World War II.

During the aforementioned period, the Empire of Japan regarded his theoretical framework for social revolution as anti-establishment. This framework synthesized leftist and rightist revolutionary concepts. Subsequent to this period, it exerted a profound influence on the "Showa Restoration Revolution" (1936), a major military coup that took place in the wake of the Meiji Restoration. It is important to note that this revolution was advocated to implement a series of democratic measures, including the abolition of the aristocracy, the dissolution of the zaibatsu, the establishment of universal suffrage, the implementation of land reform, the recognition of human rights for workers and women, the promotion of national human rights, the reform of the compulsory education system, and other significant policies. These democratic measures were incorporated into Japan's postwar reforms from 1945 to 1947, marking a significant shift in the nation's political and social landscape. Notwithstanding the prevailing imperialist policies of the era, the Asianist Ikki Kita sought to address the perceived disadvantages of expansionist policies and voiced opposition to the British-style colonialist policies. Despite the suppression and subsequent elimination of the Imperial Way faction within the army that had initially supported him, and the execution of Kita by the Control faction represented by Tojo Hideki, for many years, Kita himself was falsely labeled as a "fascist" or "fascist mentor" by various parties. In essence, he was utilized as a scapegoat by the fascist forces that were the actual perpetrators of the Sino-Japanese War and World War II.

Ryota Nakanishi is a Hong Kong-based writer and intelligence analyst specializing in politics and international relations, with a particular focus on Hong Kong and China since 2017.

Books：A STUDY OF THE THREE ACT STRUCTURE: THE WIZARD OF OZ, CITIZEN KANE, CASABLANCA, CHINATOWN (2021) ; MARXIST FILM AESTHETICS : HEGEL, MARX, ENGELS, LENIN, TROTSKY, EISENSTEIN (in Chinese, 2022)； DIALECTIC OF NOVEL-SCRIPT-FILM ADAPTATION: VIY, MOTHER JOAN OF THE ANGELS, VAMPIR CUADECUC, THE EXORCIST III, RESIDENT EVIL (2023) ； BOHACHI POLICE STORY (in Chinese, 2024) ；THE TRUE MASTERMINDS OF THE ANTI-EXTRADITION LAW AMENDMENT BILL MOVEMENT (in Chinese, 2024) ； IN DEFENSE OF ISRAEL, JEWS AND HISTORY (in Chinese, 2024)；THE THEORY OF HONG KONG'S REFORM WITHIN 'ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS' AND PURE MARXISM THAT DEVELOPS NEW QUALITY PRODUCTIVE FORCES (in Chinese, 2024) ; IKKI KITA’S AN OUTLINE PLAN FOR THE REORGANIZATION OF JAPAN (1919) : NEW CHINESE TRANSLATION, INTERLINEAR ANALYSIS, AND COLLECTED COMMENTARIES (in Chinese, 2025) ; THE THEORY OF JAPAN'S NATIONAL POLITY AND PURE SOCIALISM VOLUME 1 (2025); IKKI KITA SOCIALIST SELECTIONS: ARTICLES AND LETTERS FROM 1906 TO 1937 (2025).