Militarism in Japan: The Disintegration of Parliamentary Government
(1926-1940)
The Great Depression
 West responded to cheap Japanese goods with high tariffs
 Public blamed the Depression on the greedy and corrupt politicians and business leaders
 As the military grew more powerful it formed alliances with the zaibatsu and increased
military spending
The Manchurian Incident
 Led by officers of the Kwantung Army- 10,000 Japanese soldiers guarding railways in
Manchuria
o There were also about one million Japanese subjects in Manchuria
o 75% of all investment in Manchuria was Japanese
 Officers felt the need to gain control- needed for Japan to create economic
independence and concerned about the rising strength of Chiang Kai-shek
 Officers felt 1931 was the time to actWest was preoccupied by the
Depression and China was struggling
with floods and political infighting
 September 18, 1931: Japanese soldiers blew up a
section of the South Manchurian Railway south of
Mukden and blamed it on the Chinese
o The civilian government in Tokyo was
unaware of the plot and was determined to
localize and peacefully settle the situation;
the military refused claiming that they had
‘independence of the supreme command’
and answered only to the emperor
 In October, the League of Nations, in a 13-1 vote,
ordered Japan to withdraw from Manchuria by
November 16, 1931- Japan accepted the vote but
was powerless to order the military to withdraw
 In January 1932 fighting broke out between Chinese and Japanese troops in Shanghai (the
Shanghai Incident)- led to six weeks of fighting before a truce was declared
 On December 10, 1931, the League created the Lytton Commission to look into the
Manchurian situation
o Lytton Report was issued on October 2, 1932, blaming Japan for the Manchurian
Incident
o In February of 1933 the League of Nations voted 42-1 to accept the report critical of
Japan; Japan responded by withdrawing from the League on March 27, 1933
 Illustrated the military’s domination of the civilian government- acted without permission and
refused to stop actions against the Chinese
o Also had the backing of members of the Privy Council
The Showa Restoration
 During the 1930s the number of Patriotic organizations increased- all called for the return to
traditional values and the special role of the Emperor
o Believed that political parties and the zaibatsu were betraying
the emperor
o Restore the emperor’s divinity and expand abroad
o Believed in the mystical notions of the superiority of the
Japanese
o Believed that the military was the only institution untainted by
Western influence
 Military broke into two factions:
o Kodo (Imperial Way): stress the traditional spiritual values of
Japan and believed that the next war would be with the Soviet
Union. There wasn’t a need for reliance on modern military
technology because the Japanese troops were filled with the
spirit of the Yamato.
o Tosei (Control Faction): stressed the need for modern, wellequipped army together with economic planning for a period of
Total War starting with China.
“The Dark Valley” (1931-1937): a period of attempted coups and assassinations
 March 1931: The March Incident- Okawa Shumei of the Cherry Society planned a series of
bomb attacks and riots to force the military to declare martial law under Army Minister Ugaki
(failed when Ugaki refused to go with the plot- Okawa received a mild punishment)
 October 1931: The October Incident- police discovered a plot by young army officers to kill
the Cabinet with an air attack- the plotters received a mild punishment.
 May 15, 1932: The May Incident- a Patriotic organization, the Blood Brotherhood League,
compiled a list of 13 prominent men, including Prime Minister Inukai, who were to be killed
to bring about the Showa Restoration
o Inukai was targeted because he was a supporter of parliamentary government and
wanted to restrain the power of the military
o Inukai’s death effectively ended parliamentary government- few were willing to openly
oppose the military after his assassination
 After Inukai’s assassination Admiral Saito Makoto was appointed prime minister
o Followed a policy of consensus, which allowed the militarists to strengthen their
control, especially over the two dominant political parties
o Created the “Five Ministers Conference” made up of the Prime Minister and the
ministers of war, the navy, finance, and foreign affairs as the key decision making
group
o Strengthening of action against “dangerous thought”: socialism, liberalism, pacifism
and internationalism
o Resigned as prime minister in July 1934
 After Saito’s resignation Admiral Okada Keisuke was appointed prime minister
o Ended Japan’s participation in the Washington and London Naval Agreements
o Established the Cabinet Research Bureau to prepare legislation for the Diet
o Further attacks on ‘dangerous thought’


February 26, 1936: The February Incident
o 1400 soldiers of the 1st Division mutinied and occupied the government district in
Tokyo- led by officers of the Kodo Faction
 In the morning had their manifesto delivered to Japanese newspapersaccused the remaining Genro, prime minister, party politicians, and military
factions of undermining
the national character
and creating a critical
situation in Japan
 Assassinated key
figures of the
government (missed
the prime minister),
occupied the Army
Ministry and
surrounded the Imperial
Palace but had little
concrete plans for after
the coup
 Wanted to create a
state of emergency so
that they army could
seize power
o Emperor was angry
 February 27 declared martial law in Tokyo, moved naval ships into Tokyo
Harbor, and deployed marines throughout the city
 The rebels surrendered after four days
 No public trials- 13 officers were shot
 Kodo officers resigned or were reassigned to different posts
 Strengthened the militarists even more- the civilian government became even
more intimidated
o The young officers and nationalists won the support of the public- believed they were
acting in the best interest of the nation
Prime Minister Okada retired after the February Incident and was replaced by Hirota Koki,
who was replaced by General Hayashi in January 1937
o November 1936 joined the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany- Italy joined in 1937
 Japan had been diplomatically isolated since leaving the League of Nations
but now had powerful allies in the West and felt confident of continued fighting
in China
o The Hayashi cabinet didn’t include any political party members- created a hostile Diet
o Resigned after four months and replaced by Prince Konoe as prime minister- was a
puppet of the military
 March 1937: Education Ministry released the booklet “Cardinal Principles of
the National Entity of Japan” describing the unique characteristics of Japan,
including that the responsibility of all Japanese is to serve the emperor