This year marks the 78th anniversary of the end of the war. Various events will be held on the 15th to commemorate the end of the war. I am one of those who have vague doubts as to how long we will stick to what happened nearly 80 years ago. Isn’t wisdom also weathering? On the other hand, Japan’s democracy built over the last 80 years is showing signs of unraveling, such as rampant populism. The anniversary of the end of the war is also a good opportunity to reconsider what democracy is, and in that sense, I think there is significance in preserving this day.

Democracy is originally a doctrine that includes an irresponsible structure.
In his Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche used the harsh term “herd” to criticize people in a democracy in which no one is responsible. Moreover, for him, equality was a dwarf, and democracy seemed to pluck the buds of potential inherent in individuals.

On the other hand, Masao Maruyama argued that by pursuing democracy, we should create a country in which each individual takes responsibility and does not impose responsibility on anyone else. As is well known, Japan tends to move depending on the direction of the wind and assumptions. It has an irresponsible structure more than democracy. Especially before the war, everyone thought that he was just serving the emperor and carrying out his duties selflessly. There is no selfishness, so there is no responsibility, but with this stance, we rushed into that war. On the other hand, the emperor exists with the dignity of his lineage, has no independence from the beginning, and does not clearly show what he wants.

Since the war began in such a situation, there is no standard for the end. That’s why I couldn’t stop even if it became a quagmire. It is a borderline of irresponsible structures.
Recently, I hear people say that Japan is returning to its prewar days. A more irresponsible structure than the democracy that was somehow sealed off after the war, in other words, a national character that moves with the wind and assumptions, may be seeping out. I would like to reconfirm the essence of democracy, in which each individual has a legitimate responsibility. (Kei Kitajima)