Democracy in Post-War Japan - Maruyama Masao and the Search for Autonomy (Hardcover)

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.

General

Imprint:	Routledge
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies
Release date:	December 1995
First published:	1996
Authors:	Rikki Kersten
Dimensions:	216 x 138 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	304
ISBN-13:	978-0-415-11753-1
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > General
LSN:	0-415-11753-4
Barcode:	9780415117531

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