"Toppamono" (The Man of Breakthrough), published by Nampu-sha, Oct., 1996, pp. 468.

An autobiographical account of the writer's remarkably colorful past half as a young rascal in Kyoto, a left-wing student activist, a free-lance magazine reporter, a construction company owner, a blackmail suspect, a gambler/bouncer, a 'Jiageya' (a coordinator in clearing and assembling parcels of land for land assemblage projects, often resorting to shady and coercive means), and a key suspect (the "Fox-eyed Man") in the Glico-Morinaga Incident. The descriptions of his life well represent the 'dark side' of the history of post-war Japan. The book is currently being translated into English. Anyone interested in publishing the English version is invited to contact T. Murakami by E-mail at triking@db3.so-net.or.jp.

"Battle-Talk 'Toppamono'" published by Dojidai-sha, July, 1997, pp.

This is a book compiled from the Q & A sessions conducted during a series of panel discussions sponsored by Miyazaki himself. The book proceeds with Miyazaki answering the questions put forth by the participants of the discussions on various issues, social and otherwise, of their interest. The book is available for translation and publication in other languages. Anyone who is interested in the project is invited to contact T. Murakami by E-mail at triking@db3.so-net.or.jp.

"Futeimono" (Recalcitrants), published by Kadokawa-Haruki Office, Feb., 1998, pp. 348.

The book consists of two sections; the first half is devoted to the descriptions of the life of Man-nen Toichi, who had been dubbed "a god of hoodlums" and one of the most revered figures in the Japanese underground world, though Man-nen himself had never been a member of any Yakuza organization in his life. This is a biography of a man with tremendous pluck, beef and class, who aspired to be a real man, doing things out of disinterested motives. In the underground society where 'vertical' organizations had been a way of life, Man-nen elected to form a group of outlaws in a more horizontal, sort of free-forming, 'network' style. He was in a directly opposite position to Kyoshi Kodama, the No.1 fixer of the post-war Japan in that pecuniary pursuits were placed at the lowest in Man-nen's agenda.

The second half of the book deals with a Korean communist-activist, Kin Ten Kai (Japanese way of reading his Kanji name), who was a genius organizer and a brilliant star in the pre-war labor movement fought for the benefit of his fellow Korean workers in Japan. Against the political backgrounds of pre-war Japan, these two men are placed in diagonally opposite positions; however, they shared certain values and determination that touched the lute strings of Miyazaki's heart, to the extent that made him write a book about them--that is, a resolve to remain recalcitrant against power without regard to being even labelled as outlawry.

The book is available for translation and publication in other languages. Anyone who is interested in the project is invited to contact T. Murakami by E-mail at triking@db3.so-net.or.jp.

"Toppamono No Joken" (The Conditions of 'Toppamono'), published by Gento-sha, Feb., 1998, pp.

Miyazaki wrote this book particularly with young readers in mind to convey what he believed might be of some help to them in surviving this difficult time of the turbulent society that is experiencing changes in socio-economic structures, modes and values. He suggests that younger generations think and act on their own like a tiger, rather than remain subservient (like sheep) to what power or authorities tell them to do, as the people of this country have traditionally tended to. A good survival guidebook for the youths living in the fin de siécle .

The book is available for translation and publication in other languages. Anyone who is interested in the project is invited to contact T. Murakami by E-mail at triking@db3.so-net.or.jp.

"Toppamono Retsuden" (The Biographies of 'Toppamono') published by Chikuma-shobo, March, 1998, pp.206.

This is Miyazaki's fifth book and the latest one, in which he describes the life of several typical 'Toppamono' people whom he has encountered in his life: a couple of hot-goods brokers; an ingenious man who ran numerous kinds of businesses ranging from pachinko parlors to an operator of gravel-carrying dump trucks; a owner-president of a construction company who professes that the prison was 'his business school'; and a local Yakuza in Kyushu who expressly refuses to join the ranks of highly business-minded modern gangsters. In the book, he also takes up some other people who unfortunately failed to make themselves a Toppamono. The contrast between the two breeds accentuates what it takes to liberate oneself to be a Toppamono.

The book is available for translation and publication in other languages. Anyone who is interested in the project is invited to contact T. Murakami by E-mail at triking@db3.so-net.or.jp.