ABSTRACT I will argue that Japanese liberalism is distinct from its Western counterparts by adopting Maruyama Masao’s description of how the development of Japanese liberalism has been continuously influenced by the ethical and political thought of the Yamazaki Ansai school. I will use Maruyama’s description of the relationship between the two to demonstrate that the distinctiveness of Japanese liberalism from its Western counterparts in the current period provides us with one of the manifestations of the inconsistencies of communitarianism. I will show that it is an inconsistent position since it is still bound by the association of consciousness and rationality. To be more explicit, my argument against communitarianism will emphasize that Japan’s adoption of liberalism as the basis for the legitimacy of rule in its nation-state is best understood in the context of liberalism’s emphasis on the association of consciousness, rationality, and their respective roles in the creation of social reality.

中文翻译：

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日本自由主义作为自由主义的独特形式：山崎安赛学派在日本自由主义发展中的作用

摘要我将通过采用丸山正雄（Maruyama Masao）对山崎安赛学派的伦理和政治思想如何不断影响日本自由主义发展的描述，来论证日本自由主义与西方自由主义是不同的。我将使用丸山对两者之间关系的描述来证明，日本自由主义在当前时期与西方同行相比的独特性为我们提供了社群主义矛盾之处的表现之一。我将证明这是一个前后矛盾的立场，因为它仍然受到意识和理性联系的约束。更明确地说，