Maruyama, credited with the establishment of the discipline of political science in Japan, defined democracy through the notion of personal autonomy - maintaining the distinction between the public and private realms - and social autonomy - allowing public engagement with the political sphere. The tensions between personal and social autonomy formed the kernel of postwar Japanese political culture. Following the Security Treaty crisis of 1960, and disappointed with the failure of autonomy to emerge as a significant force in Japanese political life, Maruyama retired from the democracy debate. He nonetheless remains an intensely controversial figure. Political thinkers even now make their mark by lauding or denouncing the work of Maruyama Masao. Democracy in Postwar Japan reveals the importance of the contribution made to democratic thought by Maruyama. It also sheds light on contemporary criticisms of Japan's political system.