Chapter 3: Case Study of Militarist Japan

Learning Checklist

Focus 1: Circumstances leading to the rise and establishment of authoritarian regime in Japan

Weaknesses of the democratic government in Japan 1920s

Political structure was flawed. Emperor now shared power with the government.

Emperor advised by the Genro – elderly statesmen from Meiji Restoration
Prime Minster led the Cabinet which then led the Diet. (elected politicians)
The Military could veto decisions made by the Cabinet

Needed a strong emperor to maintain the government (Taisho - 1912-1926)

Emperor Yoshihito was sickly and weak
Many Genro statesmen left the government due to old age
Civilian politicians in the Cabinet and Diet were divided by political parties
Military divided from Civilian politicians based on different views
Military leaders appointed by Emperor. PM no power over them.

Economic challenges 1920s

Inflation in the 1920s after WWI 🡪 Rice prices rose by 174%
The Great Kanto Earthquake 1923 🡪 economic hardships
Landlord-tenant disputes in the countryside 1920s
Banking Crisis 1927
Great Depression 1929 🡪 Low demand on crops, out of business, unemployment

Led to fear of communism & growing distrust in the govt

Tensions in Japanese Society 1920s

Rural-urban Divide
Changing Role of Women

Increased influence of the militarists in Japan from the 1930s

London Naval Conference 1930
Manchuria Incident 1931

Assassination of Zhang by Kwantung Army 🡪 Mukden Incident 🡪 Occupation of Manchuria by Kwantung Army 🡪 seen as heroes

Appeal of ultranationalist faction – against civilian political leaders & zaibatsu

Military successes and political assassinations

1930 PM Hamaguchi Osachi assassinated
1932 PM Inukai assassinated
1932 League of Blood attempted coup d’état 🡪 rise of military govt

Focus 2: Japan under Militarist Rule 1930s

Consolidation of military power in the government

Increased Military Influence – military officers took civil service positions

Electoral purification

Emergence of Control Faction in Japanese Govt

26 Feb 1936 Coup – Imperial Way vs Control Faction

Invasion of China 1937
- PM Konoe shifted power to the military for permitting this
- General Tojo became PM 🡪 expansionistic

Japan’s Economy

Rapid industrialisation 🡪 rise of new zaibatsu
Formation of Cartels 🡪 Govt control of industry 🡪 zaibatsu lost autonomy
Control of Labour Unions 🡪 workers no voice
Campaign for Economic Revitalisation - countryside

Social Changes

Control of Japanese thought

The Publications Monitoring Department
Information and Propaganda Committee
Secret Police force - Kempeitai

Control of education – Nationalistic, loyal to the Emperor

The circumstances leading to the rise and establishment of an authoritarian regime in Japan
The increased influence of the militarists in Japan in the 1930s

Background: Meiji Japan

Meiji Restoration Intro.mp4

Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate (a military government) in a feudal system, where Japan was broken up into different domains headed by daimyos, or warlords. The Meiji Restoration sought to restore the rule of the emperor, but also to modernise and transform Japan into a strong modern state.

German Political Cartoon of Japan Defeating China in 1895

The success of Japan's modernisation under the Meiji government was first proved in Japan's victory over China in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). China was considered as the regional power at the time, so their defeat at the hands of the Japanese was momentous. It changed the Western perception of Japan (note how Japan is depicted in contrast to China), and gave Japan confidence. (The caption of the cartoon reads: When the Chinese and Japanese get in a quarrel, the Chinese obviously gets the shorter straw).

Political Cartoon of Japan Defeating Russia in 1905

Japan would further prove itself as a modern nation by defeating Russia in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Since Russia was considered one of the Great Powers of Europe at the time, this cemented Japan's status as a power in the East as well. This would trigger both admiration and fear from the West.

Challenges 1912-1930

The Meiji period ended in 1912 with the death of Emperor Meiji. The Taisho era began with the reign of the new Emperor Taisho. While Japan continued its modernisation, it was not as politically stable, and faced a number of challenges in the coming decades. Browse the images and their captions to get a glimpse of the social, economic, and political challenges that faced Japan during this time.

Rise of Militarism

While the people's trust in the civilian government eroded in the 1920s, the popularity and prominence of the military grew. There was also growing discontent among some officers towards the politicians. These tensions came to a boiling point in the late 1920s and early 1930s, with Japan effectively coming under militarist rule in 1932. Watch the video to gain an understanding of some of these events. You may see the full playlist on Japanese militarism here.

Japan under Militarist Rule

Factionalism

The Japanese military was not unified, and factions competed for power. This video contains the anthem of a "Young Officers Movement" - a group made up of radical nationalist officers who attempted but failed to seize power in 1936.

Economic Policy and Control

The militarist government sought to strengthen Japan's economy by exercising firm control over it. They pushed for industialisation and directly managed the zaibatsu (large business conglomerates). Japan's economy did improve during this time. The graph shows us how it recovered from the Great Depression more quickly than the other countries.

Control of Japanese Thought

The government also sought to promote loyalty to the state and Emperor. This poster reads, "A Happy Worker Makes a Happy Home". It is encouraging the Japanese people to work hard to contribute to Japan's industrialisation, and it also promotes the traditional family unit.

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