Democracy In Post-war Japan

The article discusses the role of democracy in post-war Japan and challenges the assumption that it was passively accepted by the Japanese. It explores the debate surrounding democracy through the writings of Maruyama Masao, a prominent figure in Japanese political science. Maruyama defined democracy as a balance between personal and social autonomy, but after the Security Treaty crisis of 1960, he retired from the debate due to disappointment with the lack of progress in Japanese political life. The article praises the book by Rikki Kersten for providing a thorough examination of Maruyama's political thought.

It is often assumed that the Japanese passively accepted the Western notion of democracy imposed during the post-war occupation. Rikki Kersten argues that in fact democracy was the subject of debate in Japan. War and occupation prompted a critical re-evaluation of Japanese political identity; it also catalyzed an appraisal of the workings of democracy. This work explores the debate through the writings of a man in the thick of this intellectual ferment: Maruyama Masao. Maruyama, credited with the establishment of the discipline of political science in Japan, defined democracy through the notion of personal autonomy - maintaining the distinction between the public and private realms - and social autonomy - allowing public engagement with the political sphere. The tensions between personal and social autonomy formed the kernel of post-War Japanese political culture. Following the Security Treaty crisis of 1960, and disappointed with the failure of autonomy to emerge as a significant force in Japanese political life, Maruyama retired from the democracy debate. Review: Kersten has written a serious and intelligent book, the first full-length study of Maruyama's political thought in English. - Journal of Japanese Studies