The Tokyo Tower Viewed from the Haneda Airport over the Tokyo Bay
Forgotten Heroes
In 1950's, no philosophy was needed but energy to build or enjoy life again after WWII, while free countries and socialist countries started to compete almost on the same technological and industrial level.
In 1960's, the industrial and economic power of the free world came to surpass that of the socialist world, while old political paradigms, which easily led to abuse of war, in the free world caused hot frictions between generations and classes. So, some philosophy was radically wanted by youths in the free world, including Japan and America.
In 1970's, with the end of the Vietnam War and the success of the Apollo project, there were no more serious philosophical conflicts within the free world. The Cold War was only sustained by the huge nuclear war capability of the Soviet Union who lost in competition in industry and culture.
In 1980's, while Japan was consolidating its status as the second largest economy in the world, the free world entered an era where no philosophy was needed but economic expansion. However, with crude oil being needed more than ever for global industries, the Islamic world emerged as other element posing a religious challenge.
In 1990's, as the U.S. started to leverage its merit in computer and communications technologies, applying them to the financial sector, money started to replace philosophy and partly religions as a major key code for social behaviors of Europeans and Americans in large, and some Japanese as well as some rich people in the world including Islamic nations and China.
In 2000's, China started to leverage this world intellectual status, respecting money and neglecting or making little of philosophy and religions where a concept of freedom is essentially included.
Yet, in 2010, the No.2 politician in the Japanese Government or the Kan Cabinet, is behaving like it is still in 1950's or early 1960's when a school of modern philosophy of Japan was being cultivated and formulated by a certain genius...
SECTION I: A Hiroshima Victim - Masao Maruyama
There are many Japanese scholars, professors, critics, politicians, journalists, and bloggers who praise Masao Maruyama, since he was a kind of genius professor on politics and political philosophy in Japan after WWII.
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Maruyama Masao (March 22, 1914 - August 15, 1996), was a leading Japanese political scientist and political theorist. His expertise lay in the history of Japanese political thought, to which he made major contributions.
In March 1945, Maruyama was drafted and stationed in the Army at Hiroshima. After experiencing the blast at Hiroshima and seeing out the end of the war there, he returned to his post at the university in September.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masao_Maruyama_(scholar)
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One of great admirers of Maruyama is Mr. Yoshito Sengoku, Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Kan Cabinet.
Accordingly, many critics, conservative or liberal, who support the Democratic Party of Japan, Prime Minister Mr. Naoto Kan, or the most powerful DPJ lawmaker Mr. Ichiro Ozawa are also admirers of Masao Murayama.
Masao Murayama was arrested by special political police before WWII, since he was regarded as a dangerous Marxist student of an elite Imperial high school.
But, he entered the Imperial University of Tokyo to graduate and became an assistant professor of the Faculty of Law, the most elite faculty in the Empire of Japan, as he was supported by a very friendly professor of the Imperial University.
However, as WWII exhausted resources of the Empire, even Imperial students were drafted. However, it was unthinkable that any professors of the Faculty of Law of the Imperial Tokyo University was drafted as a soldier or even as an officer. Maruyama was the only exception.
In 1944, Maruyama at the age of 30 was sent to Pyongyang, since North Korea was then part of the Empire of Japan. Maruyama was treated very badly and violently by noncommissioned officers, since Maruyama was a buck private with higher status in the society and also semi-Marxist backgrounds. Yet, Maruyama refused to exercise a special privilege given to university graduates in the Imperial Army. If Maruyama had wished, he could have been soon promoted to a commissioned officer. But, he would not, in order to appeal that he was forced into the military service.
Maruyama got sick. He was sent to a hospital to be discharged eventually. But, in March 1945, he was drafted again to be sent to Hiroshima where he suffered the atomic bomb attack by the U.S. military on August 15, 1945. He, as a cipher-clerk buck private, was assigned to the headquarters of the ship management division of the Imperial Army situated at Ujina Town, 5 km from the Ground Zero of Hiroshima. Nonetheless, he was not injured badly and could work as usual after the atomic bomb attack.
(http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/mvbzx0147/19034155.html)
When WWII ended, Masao Maruyama returned to the University of Tokyo as professor of Law. He later became the most influential and respected scholar in politics and political philosophy in the Japanese society after WWII. That is why even Mr. Yoshito Sengoku, Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Kan Cabinet, has sometimes confessed that he always keeps books written by Masao Maruyama at hand. Indeed, Mr. Sengoku is regarded as more liberal and socialistic than P.M. Mr. Kan.
So, to understand P.M. Mr. Kan and the Kan Cabinet, it is important to understand Masao Maruyama, since Mr. Yoshito Sengoku, Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Kan Cabinet, has sometimes confessed that he always keeps books written by Masao Maruyama at hand, since lawmaker Mr. Yoshito Sengoku is also a lawyer graduated from the Faculty of Law, the University of Tokyo, where he was a student movement activist in late 1960's.
SECTION II: Modern Philosophy in Japan
Most of Americans who graduate from a college or a university do not know anything about modern philosophy in Japan.
There is long, wide, deep, and abundant traditions in modern study of philosophy in Japan since the Meiji Restoration of imperial authority and modernization of Japan. Since the late 19th century, many Japanese professors and students have studied European philosophy and developed Japanese modern philosophy.
Before the Meiji Restoration of imperial authority and modernization of Japan in the late 19th century, Japanese scholars in the samurai era had studied with enthusiasm Chinese philosophy and Buddhism, in addition to Japanese spiritualism, for 1000 years. But, after opening the door of Japan to the world in the late 19th century, many Japanese professors and students have studied European philosophy and developed Japanese modern philosophy.
Based on this unique modern intellectual framework, Japan could also develop science and technology. This is the most striking difference from other non-European nations. As most of Asian and African countries were simply forced to accept, or only accepted, Western philosophy, they could not develop their own philosophy which should have given an intellectual framework as in the case of Japan. Without such a basic and unique intellectual framework in a nation, no science and technology can be developed so as to compete with Europe and America.
Americans simply see Sony, Toyota, Honda, Panasonic, etc. But, they cannot see Masao Maruyama and tens of thousands philosophers and scholars in Japan who have provided in total an intellectual framework on which various Japanese industries and makers have been built since the late 19th century.
In this context, the recent economic success of China and Korea also tells how much both the countries have been influenced by, and learnt, the Japanese modern philosophy, including that cultivated by Masao Maruyama.
Ancient Chinese philosophy, such as Confucianism, and Buddhism cannot make China and Korea to catch up with Europe and America in terms of technology.
They have been requested to learn Japanese modern philosophy.
So, to a surprise of American and European intellectual elites, the economic success in East Asia owes much to a higher level of the modern philosophy developed and studied by modern Japanese scholars since the late 19th century.
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Masao Maruyama befriended then Prime Minister Takeo Miki.
P.M. Miki issued approval for the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office to arrest former P.M. Kakuei Tanaka in connection to the Lockheed scandal in 1976.
As Kakuei Tnaka had various and huge sources for his political funds, he actually controlled 100 and more national lawmakers of Japan. He bought loyalty from hundreds of other Diet members, elite bureaucrats, and journalists by money.
So, it was a big surprise to the Japanese public. People thought some powerful Americans, such as Mr. Henry Kissinger, must have been behind P.M. Miki, since Tanaka took diplomatic policies as if competing with America in terms of China, Russia, and energy issues.
However, it was clear that behind then Prime Minister Takeo Miki there was philosophy cultivated by Masao Maruyama, though such an academic way of thinking is one of intellectual products ex-Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka most abhorred, since Tanaka had no backgrounds of higher education (so that he was very popular among ordinary voters).
In this context, I praise Masao Maruyama.
But, I think Professor Maruyama should have worked among poor workers in a small factory in a local town somewhere in Japan so as to enhance his philosophy as high as possible, though he had an experience of serving the nation as a mere soldier of the Imperial Army in Hiroshima in the summer of 1945.
That is why I do not praise Masao Maruyama in a comprehensive manner.
The world can be returned to its 1930's or 1940's by the God at any time, since He is Almighty.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tj6kYfAmt8&a=GxdCwVVULXezKiS8Urgfos3NuI8fAJ9W
In early 1960's, communism looked like a kind of righteous religion for some Japanese youths, since it was created in modern Europe...)
Mar 8:10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
Mar 8:11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Mar 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
Mar 8:13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.