Maruyama Masao and the Fate of Liberalism in Twentieth-Century Japan

Maruyama Masao (1914–1996) was the archetypical 20th-century Japanese intellectual. Immensely influential through his scholarly work in the history of ideas and political science, Maruyama also reached a general audience through his extensive writings in the leading opinion journals of the postwar period. He emerged through those writings as a convincing and outspoken advocate of liberalism and democracy. Karube traces Maruyama’s childhood and youth in prewar and wartime Japan. The biographer depicts decisive experiences that imbued in Maruyama a commitment to democratic ideals and that inspired him to frame those ideals in the context of the individual. Karube describes Maruyama’s postwar examination of the issues faced by mass society and his investigation of the potential paths to modernity implicit the Japanese experience. The book presents a richly human portrait of Maruyama, including his ambivalence about his political activity. Its portrayal of his concerns and tribulations, his triumphs and setbacks provides a compelling vantage on the liberal tradition in 20th-century Japan.