MARUYAMA Masao, Le Fascisme japonais (1931-1945). Analyse et interprétation

The three essays by Maruyama Masao translated in this book were published between 1946 and 1949. They represent the first postwar analysis, not based on Marxist theory, to summarize the ideological and political processes that led Japan into total war with the United States and its allies. Despite the accumulation of research since then, they remain essential references today.

During his conscription in Hiroshima in August 1945, Maruyama had only a fragmentary idea of the path that led to war. A few months later, in his landmark essay The Logic and Psychology of Ultranationalism, he unveiled the ideological system that was gradually leading Japan toward fascism and sought to understand why the progress toward democratization since the Meiji era had been derailed.

In subsequent papers, he discussed the role of right-wing movements in the 1930s. Although right-wing movements in Japan did not develop enough to seize power like those in Italy and Germany, they successfully implemented fascism from within the state apparatus, ending liberal party politics.

Finally, he examined the 1949 Tokyo Trial to analyze the power of bureaucrats, a legacy of the Meiji era, and how a specific mentality encouraged the irresponsible actions of prewar and wartime leaders.

Translating Maruyama's lucid prose was relatively easy and even enjoyable. The challenge was not so much the translation itself but dealing with the myriad of people, institutions, organizations, and events that Maruyama addressed. Each required meticulous research in order to be translated as accurately as possible.

This translation can be an opportunity to broaden the study of fascism by considering non-European cases, but it can also be an opportunity to discover the political history of Japan during this period, which is not well known in France. It's preferable to avoid interpreting it as merely a story from a distant country. Maruyama's insights can inspire those who are primarily interested in European history of the same period. Ultimately, modern Japanese history should not be separated from the rest of world history.