Showa Statism

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"The sword is our steel Bible!"

Showa Statism (also called Showa Nationalism and Japanese Fascism), shortened Showaism, is a totalitarian, ethnoultranationalist, culturally far-right, economically third positionist (specifically favoring Corporatism) and expansionist ideology, which was practiced and developed in Japan during the first half of the reign of Emperor Showa (at the time called Hirohito). Showa Statism was a political syncretism of monarchist and nationalist ideologies in Japan, and was inspired by Italian Fascism.

History

Origins

Showa Statism's origins can be traced back to the Meiji Restoration. After the victory over China in the First Sino-Japanese War and over Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, Japan joined the Western powers. They needed a strong military to secure Japan's new overseas empire which was reinforced by a feeling that only through a strong military would Japan earn the respect of Western nations. The period where it was the most prominent was during the dawn of the Showa Period and throughout the Second World War. The first 20 years of Emperor Showa's reign it was characterized by extreme nationalism and a series of expansionist wars. It was a mixture of ideas such as Japanese nationalism, militarism, fascism (while disputed by some), and corporatism, that was initiated by several political philosophers and thinkers in Japan. Those philosophers include Ikka Kita, Shumei Okawa, and Sadao Araki. Many had different (sometimes outright contrasting) views, which is why Showa Statism could be described as ideologically syncretic.

The Rise of Militarism

Kōdōha Faction

The Kōdōha or the Imperial Way Faction was founded by were General Sadao Araki and his protégé, Jinzaburō Masaki. The Kōdōha was a radical faction that sought to establish a military government that promoted totalitarian, militaristic, and aggressive expansionist ideas and was supported mainly by young officers. Araki was a noted political philosopher within the army who linked the ancient Japanese bushido code of the samurai with ideas similar to European fascism to form the philosophical basis of his ideology, which linked the Emperor, the people, land, and morality as one and indivisible.

The Kōdōha envisioned a pure Japanese culture, a return to the pre-westernized Japan in which the state was to be purged of corrupt bureaucrats, opportunistic politicians, and greedy zaibatsu capitalists. The state would be run directly by Emperor Hirohito in a "Shōwa Restoration" assisted by the military.

The Kōdōha regarded the Soviet Union as Japan's main enemy, so they should help build Manchuria rather than invade it by force so that it could become a bastion against communism in Asia. The Imperial Way faction regarded the Control Faction's advocacy of expansion into China as foolish. They believed that attacking China would result in a mutual loss with Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army and create conflicts with Britain and the United States. Ultimately, it would only benefit Japan's natural enemies, the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist Party.

Activity

At that time, the Japanese radical thinker Kita Ikki wrote "An Outline Plan for the Reorganization of Japan" which was regarded as the ideological basis of the Imperial Way Faction members, especially the young people who were easily influenced, full of ideals and aspirations were entirely convinced by Kita Ikki's ideas. Following this idea, they joined the army or political groups, such as the Blood Alliance and the Sakura Society. Kita Ikki also called on the Japanese to "clear away obstacles around the emperor" so that the military could communicate directly with the emperor and carry out reforms under the latter's leadership.

Both factions had struggled to gain influence over the military after the Manchurian Incident, however, the Kodoha remained dominant until the resignation of Sadao Araki due to illness, and the Kodoha would start to decline in its influence over the military. Araki was replaced by General Senjūrō Hayashi, who had Tōseiha sympathies. Thus, after the February 26 Incident, the Kōdōha effectively ceased to exist, and the Tōseiha lost most of its raison d'être.

The Righteous Army

A group of young IJA officers who supported the radical Kodoha. The young officers believed that the problems facing the nation were the result of Japan drifting from the kokutai (國體) (an amorphous term often translated as "national polity", it roughly signifies the relationship between the Emperor and the state). To them, the "privileged classes" exploited the people (Almost all of the young officers' subordinates were from poor peasant families or working class), leading to widespread poverty in rural areas and deceiving the Emperor, taking his power and weakening Japan. The solution, they believed, was a "Shōwa Restoration" modeled on the Meiji Restoration of 70 years earlier. These beliefs were strongly influenced by contemporary nationalist thought, especially the political philosophy of Ikki Kita On February 26th, 1936, they attempted a military coup to purge the government and military leadership of their factional rivals and ideological opponents.

Feburary 26th Incident (26-28 Feburary 1936)

The February 26th Incident (二・二六事件) was an attempted coup d'état in the Empire of Japan. It was organized by young officers known as the Righteous Army, who support the Kodo-ha, to bring about the "Showa Restoration," purging their political opponents (particularly the Tosei-ha) and restoring direct rule under Emperor Showa (Hirohito). Although they managed to assassinate several leading officials and occupy the government center of Tokyo, they had failed to assassinate Prime Minister Keisuke Okada, secure control of the Imperial Palace, or get support from the Emperor. Their supporters in the army made attempts to capitalize on their actions. Still, divisions within the military, combined with anger at the coup, meant they were unable to achieve a change of government. Facing overwhelming opposition as the army moved against them, the rebels surrendered on 29 February. This resulted in the uprising being suppressed, the loss of Koda-ha factional influence, and the increase of military influence over the government.

Toseiha Faction

The Toseiha, or the Control Faction, was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The Tōseiha was created by Tetsuzan Nagata and Hideki Tōjō, a group of moderate officers united primarily because of their opposition to the radical Kōdōha faction and its aggressive imperialist and anti-modernization ideals. They were concerned that the Kōdōha would gain too much power and Araki's emphasis on the spiritual morale of the army instead of modernization and mechanization. Rather than the confrontational approach of the Kōdōha, which wanted to bring about the "Showa Restoration" through violence, the Tōseiha sought to reform by working within the existing system.

The Tōseiha, drawing from Erich Ludendorff's political domination and plans for total war, saw that a future war for Japan would be a total war. Nagata would publish an army pamphlet called "The Essence of National Defense and the Proposal for Strengthening It," which advocated the construction of a complete national defense state by disseminating the Army's arguments in the political and economic fields and maximizing Japan's industrial and military capacity would require the cooperation of Japan's bureaucracy and the zaibatsu unions which the Kōdōha despised.

The Toseiha also disagreed with the Kodoha's emphasis on striking into the soviet union as a priority, instead advocating for striking southwards into China and the European colonies.

The Toseiha rivaled the radical Kodoha for influence over the army until the Kodoha de facto dissolved after the February 26th Incident the Toseiha became the dominant influence in the Japanese military but lost most of its raison d'être and gradually disbanded.

Totalitarian Period (1940-1945)

WIP

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is a concept used to justify the Empire of Japan's imperialism. It promoted the cultural and economic unity of East Asians, Southeast Asians, South Asians, and Oceanians. It saw for its Pan-Asian ideals of freedom and independence from the control of western powers. In practice, it was often used by militarists and nationalists, who saw an effective way to strengthen Japan and advance its superiority within Asia.

Korea

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Upon its annexation, Japan declared that Korea would be officially named Chōsen.

Taiwan

The island of Taiwan was once a part of the Qing Dynasty, however, was ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895 after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese war. Taiwan was Japan's first colony and Japanese intentions were to turn Taiwan into a model colony with much effort made to improve Taiwan's economy, public works, industry, cultural Japanization, and to support the essentials of Japanese militarism in the Asia-Pacific.

Manchukuo

Manchukuo officially known as the State of Manchuria, also known as the Empire of (Great) Manchuria was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan from 1932 to 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (On September 18th, 1931, they invaded Manchuria prior to the Mukden Incident. The war ended in 1932 and the Japanese established a puppet state of Manchukuo), and in 1934 it became a constitutional monarchy under the control of Japan. Puyi was the Emperor of Manchukuo and was formerly the last Emperor of China and the Qing Dynasty. Their occupation lasted until the success of the Soviet Union and Mongolia with the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation in August 1945.

Philippines

Japan created a second republic within the Philippines and collaborated with Emilio Aguinaldo who saw Japan as a messiah that would free the oriental races from white supremacy and colonialism. In a letter to Maeda dated 16 February 1942 Aguinaldo (1942c) expressed his support for Japan's occupation policy, saying the Filipino people "should trust in the good purpose of the Japanese Empire to make the Philippines an independent nation, a member of the sphere of co-prosperity in the Greater East Asia."

India

The Provisional Government of Free India or, Azad Hind, was an Indian provisional government established in Japanese-occupied Singapore during World War II. Azad Hind was recognized as a legitimate state by only a small number of countries limited solely to Axis powers and their allies. This government participated as an observer in the Greater East Asia Conference in November 1943.

Burma

The State of Burma was a Japanese puppet state created by Japan in 1942 during the Japanese occupation of Burma in World War II. As the war situation gradually turned against the Japanese, the Japanese government decided that Burma and the Philippines would become fully independent as part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, contrary to the original plan that independence only be granted after the completion of the war.

Thailand

WIP

Vietnam

The Empire of Vietnam is a Japanese puppet state. Japan would invade Vietnam, which was originally a colony of France (Later under Vichy France) and was called French Indochina. The Imperial Japanese Army invaded Vietnam in September 1940 which would result in the Japanese occupation of French Indochina. The Japanese tendered an official apology for the incident at Lạng Sơn on 5 October 1940. The Japanese-occupied towns were returned to Vichy French control and all French prisoners were released. They would occupy French Indochina until 1945. When the Allies invaded France in 1944, Japan suspected that the French authorities in Indochina might assist Allied operations in the region. Therefore, Japan deposed the French authorities in the spring of 1945, imprisoning the French administrators and taking direct control of Indochina until the end of the war while took Kingdom of Kampuchea and Kingdom of Luang Phrabang under their direction. At that point, Vietnamese nationalists under the Viet Minh banner took control in the August Revolution and issued a Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Japanese occupation of Indochina helped strengthen the Viet Minh and contributed to the outbreak of the First Indochina War in 1946 against French rule.

Malaysia and Singapore

British Malaya, which compromised the Straits Settlements, Federal Malay States and Unfederated Malay States was a British dependency in present-day Malaysia and Singapore. In December 1941, Japanese forces began their offensive via Kota Bharu and Songkhla, contrary to British estimates that the Japanese will attack Singapore first (which is proven by the construction of Fort Siloso in Sentosa Island, Singapore for that purpose). The British military attempted to launch a defensive naval force, which compromises of battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battle cruiser HMS Repulse, code-named "Task Force Z" which later failed followed by the sinking of both capital ships by Japanese aerial torpedo attacks. The defeat of Allied troops at the Battle of Jitra by Japanese forces, supported by tanks moving south from Thailand on 11 December 1941 and the rapid advance of the Japanese inland from their Kota Bharu beachhead on the north-east coast of Malaya overwhelmed the northern defenses and the Japanese gradually taking over the Malay Peninsula. During the Battle of Singapore, British and Australian forces, including the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army, Dalforce and the newly established Malay Regiment fought Japanese advances until their defeat on 15 February 1942. After the surrender of Singapore, Singapore was then renamed "Syonan" (昭南) while the northern states of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu are later handed over to Thailand for a brief period of time alongside of the utilization of the ports in Singapore and Brunei as a naval base for the Imperial Japanese Navy until at the time of Japan's surrender in August 1945.

Indonesia

Indonesia was once a Dutch colony that was called the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese conquered the Dutch East Indies rather quickly, and their invasion of the Dutch East Indies would begin on 10 January 1942, and the Imperial Japanese Army overran the entire colony in less than three months. The Dutch surrendered on 8 March. Originally, most Indonesians welcomed the Japanese as liberators from their Dutch colonial masters. However, this would change as the Japanese recruited between 4 and 10 million Indonesians as forced laborers on economic development and defense projects in Java. In 1944–1945, Allied troops largely bypassed the Dutch East Indies and did not fight their way into the most populous parts such as Java and Sumatra. As such, most of the Dutch East Indies were under occupation at the time of Japan's surrender in August 1945.

Second Sino-Japanese War

The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China against the the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Theater of the Second World War. The start of the war is historically dated to the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 7 July 1937, when a dispute between Japanese and Chinese troops in Peking escalated into a full-scale invasion. It is not known who fired the first shots at this event. This war is often regarded as the start of the Second World War in Asia. Following the Marco-Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese were able to score major victories such as capturing large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and the Chinese capital of Nanjing in 1937. Prior to failing to stop the Japanese forces in the Battle of Wuhan, the Chinese government was relocated to Chongqing. While Japan ruled the large cities, it lacked the adequate manpower to control China's vast countryside.

The National Revolutionary Army under the command of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and other regional Warlords fought against the Japanese in 22 major battles. By 1939, after Chinese victories in Changsha and Guangxi, the war reached a stalemate. The war would end on September 2nd, 1945, resulting in the Japanese surrendering to the Allies.

After the war, the Chinese economy collapsed due to the lack of American foreign aid in the war, unlike most other counties like Britain, Free France, and the USSR. The inflation rate skyrocketed, and corruption became extremely rampant. The CPC after receiving the arms and munitions from the USSR, was able to take advantage of this and launched a major “offensive” after Japan surrendered and controlled 2/3 of the territories occupied by Japan. Many historians assess that this war destroyed the popularity and stability Nationalist Government and paved the way for the communist takeover as the communists made minimum efforts to resist Japan, but instead focused on expanding its troops to turn on the nationalists.

Beliefs

Due to the fact that Showa Japan was militarily allied with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and shared ideological similarities, Showa Statism is usually taken to be a type of Fascism, but it is disputed on how "purely" fascist it was. Showa Statism is a syncrecism of Japanese nationalist ideologies and European fascism. Some believed in unifying the Asian race under the sacred rule of the emperor, some believed it was their destiny to liberate Asia from Western powers. Showa Statism is anti-western, anti-liberal and anti-communist

Nationalism

Nationalism originated from the Sonno Joi theory that emerged at the end of the Edo period, and emerged after the Meiji Restoration as a backlash against the treaty revision negotiations and Westernization policies of the Imperial Japanese government . ] The government sought to modernize Japan by actively introducing Western culture and promoted Westernization policies.

The term "kokusuishugi" (nationalism) first came into use in 1888 when Shiga Shigetaka , Miyake Setsurei and others published an essay titled "Kokusui Hozon Shigi" (The Preservation of National Spirit) in opposition to the government's Westernization policy in the magazine Nihonjin ( Japanese ) , published by Seikyosha (the company that published the magazine) . This essay " Kokusui Hozon Shigi " is the origin of the words "kokusui" and "kokusuishugi" (nationalism) . In this essay , Shiga criticized the government 's Westernization policy and advocated emphasizing Japan's indigenous strengths .


It is not a country that wishes to thoroughly preserve the ancient elements unique to Japan and maintain the ancient elements, but rather, although it imports Western culture, it is one that wishes to chew and digest it with the stomach, which is so characteristic of Japan, and assimilate it into the Japanese body.

—Shiga  Shigetaka


As can be seen from Shiga's words, mid-Meiji nationalism was different from xenophobic nationalism in that it was not a reaction against Westernization, but rather a partial adoption of Western civilization in order to independently develop Japanese civilization . It also linked it to the nation's independence from the outside world, and stressed the importance of preserving Japan's traditional culture and lifestyle in the midst of an overwhelming climate of Westernization .


However, as the West was moving to surround Japan, public opinion was increasingly turning to xenophobia against foreign cultures and ideas. At the same time , Japan was influenced by the idea of ​​" Nihonshugi ," which was advocated by such thinkers as Chogyu Takayama and Takataro Kimura , and which advocated the practice of national morality derived from the founding spirit of the nation .


From the standpoint of protecting tradition and the national polity , it opposed the socialist mass movement as a right-wing guiding principle , but it expanded rapidly from the Manchurian Incident in the early Showa period through the Second Sino-Japanese War , developing into an ideological political movement, and during the Pacific War it became an ultra-nationalist ideology known as the Imperial History View . Due to the historical circumstances of the Showa period, nationalism is sometimes understood as being unified with ultra- nationalism or fascism .

Religion

State Shinto, is the official religion of Japan from 1868 through World War II. It implemented the ideals of Shinto into a political system. State Shinto strongly encourage Shinto practices that emphasized the Emperor as a divine being. This allowed Japan to build up a country that was ready to sacrifice much in the name of the state.

Japanese Corporate State

Under the military, the country developed a very hierarchical, aristocratic economic system with significant state involvement. During the Meiji Restoration, there had been a surge in the creation of monopolies. This was in part due to state intervention, as the monopolies served to allow Japan to become a world economic power. The state itself owned some of the monopolies, and others were owned by the zaibatsu who were alligned with the state. The monopolies managed the central core of the economy, with other aspects being controlled by the government ministry appropriate to the activity, including the National Central Bank and the Imperial family. This economic arrangement was in many ways similar to the later corporatist models of European fascists.

Comparisons with European Fascism

As of 2017, researchers of modern Japanese history and political scientists are generally negative about whether Japanese society and the system up until the end of World War II can be considered "imperial fascism" or "Japanese fascism"  . The prevailing view is that Japan was at best a " wartime regime " or militarism , and that fascism as a political system did not come into existence .  Furthermore, the view that denies the existence of fascism in Japan is mainstream even among researchers of Japan in Western countries . The positive and negative arguments regarding whether or not to consider this "imperial fascism" or "Japanese fascism" are as follows.

Positive

  • Yasushi Miwa expressed the following view in his book "Japanese Fascism and the Labor Movement." Around 1935, the "police spirit" was developed and police intervention in labor-management relations and civic life deepened. The police not only carried out repression, but also played the role of mediating and integrating social conflicts and mobilizing the public. In other words, they played the role that fascist mass organizations had played in Italy and Germany . He argues that the fascist movement "from below" in Japan was characterized by its dependence on established powers such as the military and bureaucracy .
  • Matsuura Tsutomu , an educational scholar and professor at Hachinohe Institute of Technology, expressed the following views in his book "Japanese Fascism's War Education System and Reconciliation Education." In August 1942, the Ministry of Education 's Social Education Bureau published "The Road to National Harmony," which for the first time set out the ideals and specific principles of the government's education policy for the Dowa education system. The book advocated "cultivating and training" Buraku children and youth through Dowa education to "stand in a pure consciousness as Imperial citizens, endure suffering, tolerate hardships, and strive to practice the way of a subject." This proposed "cultivating and training" Buraku children and youth as "Imperial citizens" above other children and youth, and there is a theory that regards this Dowa education guideline as one of the extreme forms of "Imperial Fascism" education.
  • Yōsuke Matsuoka, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the early stages of World War II, articulated a vision for the development of fascism in Japan, stating, "Fascism will develop in Japan through the people’s will. It will come out of love for the Emperor, but the people cannot be forced. It is because of the special system in Japan with the Emperor at the head that the Japanese state is better adapted than any other state to unify the nation in fascism." This statement reflects the perspective of high-ranking officials within the Japanese government, who recognized the regime's alignment with fascist principles.
  • In his book Japanese Fascism and Its Times, Shinichi Susaki wrote that "Japan cannot be labelled as non-fascist just because of differences in appearance. Even within the same type of national system, it is only natural that there will be various variations depending on the historical traditions of the country or people, as well as its environment . "

Denial

  • American political scientists Kevin M. Doak and Gregory Kasza believe that the label "conservative dictatorship" applies, but not fascism. According to Doak, in order to defend the Meiji Constitution , the government targeted not only left-wing dissidents, but also right-wingers and fascists. It should be noted, however, that fascist regimes have a tendency to persecute other fascist groups which do not completely align with the ruling party's ideology.
  • In the opinion of Comintern and Shigeo Kamiyama , Japan's political system at the time was "military- feudal imperialism ," a term used by Lenin to distinguish between the imperialism of the European powers and that of Tsarist Russia . The Japanese Communist Party 's platform also unifies the notion of " Japanese imperialism . "
  • Takahisa Furukawa expressed the following opinion in his book "Parliament and Administration in the Wartime Showa Period": The two declarations of the National Polity Clarification proclaimed that "our national polity was revealed by the Divine Imperial Command bestowed at the time of the descent of the heavenly grandson, and the Emperor shall rule the country of unbroken succession, and the glory of the throne shall be boundless in heaven and earth (First Declaration)" and "Politics, politics, and all other matters must be based on the true meaning of our national polity, which is unparalleled in all nations, and its essence must be made manifest (Second Declaration)." This was intended to exclude foreign political systems, including not only liberalism and socialism, but also fascism (historically, this was also used by the established right wing, the idealistic right wing and Japanists, to attack the reformist right wing who supported fascism) .
  • Kang Sang-jung points out that "Prewar Japan was not fascist, but was internally divided. Although it appeared to be united under the Emperor, there was probably a strong sense of sectionalism . This may be a major difference between Japan and Nazi Germany. "

others

  • Historian Ito Takashi has argued that the popularity of the concept of Japanese fascism was largely due to the verdicts of the Tokyo Trials , in which the victorious nations ideologically justified World War II as a battle between fascism and democracy. Because the logic of the Tokyo Trials was similar to the "anti-war, anti-fascism" advocated by the Japanese Communist Party , Marxist historiography, which became mainstream in academia after the war, naturally defined the prewar Japanese regime as fascism .
  • Political scientist Sadao Yamaguchi praised Maruyama Masao's theory on Japanese fascism, but also criticized him for using the same definition of fascism as the Comintern's .
  • Historian Kazu Nagai argues that the emphasis in "imperial fascism" should be on the "emperor system," and that it should be understood to refer to a pseudo-fascist modern imperial system, not a fascist state under the imperial system. Conversely, a fascist state under the imperial system could be called such if, for example, a political party had developed into a fully-fledged national socialist party with hundreds of thousands of party members, twice as many affiliated mass organizations, and an excellent private army , and had created a leadership-submission relationship across all layers and segments of society, become a political force that could rival the military, and, backed by that strong political power, had legally taken power, and had gone further and implemented an extra-constitutional measure to delegate the supreme power of the emperor to the party leader, thus establishing a dictatorial one-party leadership system .

Militarism

Imperial Japanese militarism was defined by the growing dominance of the military in government and a strong push toward imperial expansion. Unlike a centralized dictatorship led by a single autocrat, Japan’s governance operated as a shifting coalition or junta composed of military leaders, conservative bureaucrats, and aristocratic elites. Leadership positions changed frequently as figures rose and fell based on their perceived effectiveness in advancing the nation’s imperial ambitions where nfluential figures such as Prince Fumimaro Konoe and General Hideki Tojo gained and lost power in this environment. Konoe was an aristocratic prime minister who initially pursued diplomatic solutions but resigned in 1941 when his policies lost support within the more hawkish factions. Tojo, who adopted a more aggressive stance, subsequently led Japan into war with the Allies, but his leadership ended in 1944 after military setbacks diminished confidence in his abilities.

A notable feature of this ruling structure was intense interservice rivalry between the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which further fragmented decision-making. Each branch operated almost autonomously and often competed for resources, influence, and strategic control, complicating unified action within the government. The army and navy developed and pursued their own strategies, sometimes at odds with each other’s goals. For example, the IJA prioritized campaigns in China and Siberia, aiming to secure a continental base, while the IJN focused on expanding into the Pacific, seeking dominance over resources and trade routes. This rivalry created a volatile political landscape, where policies and leadership could shift rapidly based on which faction wielded the most influence, often leading to contradictory policies and strategic overextension.

System of irresponsibility

Views on Race and Ethnicity

Japan's modern era began with foreign involvement that reopened the nation to a world largely dominated by Western influence. Western ideas of race, especially Social Darwinism, significantly shaped Japanese racial thought. Under the Meiji Constitution, the state promoted the belief that the Emperor descended directly from the original Yamato clan and that the Japanese people shared an organic connection to the emperor, fostering the concept of a unified, homogenous racial identity. This belief system laid a strong foundation for a vigorous nationalism.

Japan’s rapid modernization inspired leaders to aspire for an empire that could challenge Western notions of racial superiority. Simultaneously, many Japanese saw their culture and racial identity as offering something valuable to the "less advanced" societies of Asia. This dual perspective fueled both imperial expansion abroad and repressive policies at home. Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the government annexed Ainu territories and introduced policies intended to assimilate the Ainu people. Similarly, the Ryukyuans, now known as Okinawans, were pressured to adopt mainstream Japanese culture. Although terms like burakumin ("hamlet people") replaced older labels such as eta and hinin, these linguistic changes did little to reduce discrimination. Japan's expanding empire also brought a significant Korean population into its borders, where they, too, faced systemic discrimination.

Variants

Neo-Showaism

Nippon Kaigi

The Nippon Kaigi (日本會議, "Japan Conference") is an ultranationalist, militarist and historical revisionist non-government organization who seek to "change the postwar national consciousness based on the Tokyo Tribunal's view of history as a fundamental problem" and to revise Japan's current Constitution. Most of the members of Nippon Kaigi viewed the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan as their political partner, as the movement is influential in the legislative and executive branches of the Japanese government through its affiliates. They are critical of progressivism, especially having anti-feminist and anti-LGBT sentiments in general.

Netto-uyoku

The Netto-uyokus (網絡右翼, Japanese Internet rightists, sometimes shortened to Netouyo or ネトウヨ) are netizens who embrace ultranationalist far-right views on Japanese social media. The netto-uyoku are individuals with xenophobic and racist views and they generally convey support for historically revisionist views that portray the former Empire of Japan in a positive way. They are compared with the western Alt-Right due to their similarities

Left-Showaism/Sakurakai

Left Showaism describes the faction of Showa statism influenced by leftist and socialist ideals.

Sakurakai, or the Cherry Blossom Society (桜会, Sakurakai), was an ultranationalist secret society established by young officers within the Imperial Japanese Army in September 1930, with the goal of reorganizing the state along totalitarian militarist lines via a military coup d'état, if necessary. Its avowed goal was a Shōwa Restoration, which they claimed would restore Emperor Shōwa to his rightful place, free of party politics and evil bureaucrats in a new military dictatorship. They also advocated for state socialism, according to the model proposed by Kita Ikki.

The Sakurakai was led by Imperial Japanese Army Lieutenant Colonel Kingoro Hashimoto, the chief of the Russian section of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, and Captain Isamu Chō l, with the support of Sadao Araki.] The society began with about ten members, active-duty field grade officers of the Army General Staff, and was expanded to include regimental-grade and company-grade officers. Its membership had increased to more than 50 by February 1931 and possibly up to several hundred by October 1931. One prominent leader was Kuniaki Koiso, future Prime Minister of Japan. Members of the Sakurakai held meetings in a dojo, led by the Aikido founder, Morihei Ueshiba, at the headquarters of the Oomoto religion in Ayabe

The Sakura group sought political reform: the elimination of party government by a coup d'etat and the establishment of a new cabinet based upon state socialism, in order to stamp out Japan's allegedly corrupt politics, economy, and thought.

Twice in 1931 (the March Incident and the Imperial Colors Incident), the Sakurakai and civilian ultranationalist elements attempted to overthrow the government. With the arrest of its leadership after the Imperial Colors Incident, the Sakurakai was dissolved.

Many of its former members migrated to the Toseiha faction within the Army.

Army Socialism

The True Meaning of National Defense and a Proposal for Its Strengthening" was a pamphlet published by the Army Ministry's Newspaper Section in October 1934 The pamphlet advocated the creation of a socialist state led by the army and adopting a planned economy along a soviet structure with 5-year plans.

The document was drafted by officers belonging to the Control Faction, but the opposing Imperial Way Faction did not oppose it. The Imperial Way Faction initially opposed the excessively controlled economy, viewing it as communist, leading to subjugation by the Soviet Union. However, it later warmed up to the economic proposals and had no objections to establishing a militarist system.

Party politicians raised strong opposition, and the Army Minister was questioned in parliament. Still, the proposal for a controlled economy was based on the view that "if it is true that only a portion of the population enjoys economic benefits, especially unearned income, while the majority of the population suffers immense hardship, and if this ultimately gives rise to class conflict, then it is a problem that cannot be overlooked from the standpoint of national policy in general, let alone national defense," and progressive politicians such as Nakano Seigo and Akamatsu Katsumaro expressed their support. In particular, Aso Hisashi, Secretary-General of the Shakai Taishūtō, gave it warm praise, saying, "Those who do not follow the pamphlet are failures in the movement for social reform."

The content was approved by Nagata Tetsuzan, Director of the Military Affairs Bureau, and Hayashi Senjuro, Minister of the Army, before publication. The content was a more concrete version of Kita Ikki 's " Outline of the Japan Remodeling Bill ."

Tatenokai

Tatenokai, or Shield Society (1968-1970), was a private militia formed by author Yukio Mishima. Mishima was very proud of the traditional culture of Japan, and opposed western-style materialism. globalism, and communism, worrying that by embracing these ideas the Japanese people would lose their distinctive cultural heritage to become a "rootless" people. On 25 November 1970, Mishima and four members of his militia entered a military base in central Tokyo, took its commandant hostage, and unsuccessfully tried to inspire the Japan Self-Defense Forces to rise up and overthrow Japan's 1947 Constitution. After his speech and screaming of "Long live the Emperor!", he committed seppuku.

Personality

Above all, Showa Statism is a militarist who worships the Emperor. They despise the Chinese and the Koreans, calling the former "Maruta" ("log", a term used by Japanese bioweapon Units to refer to their test subjects) but also feeling lust toward the latter at the same time. They like committing war crimes but denies them whenever they are accused of doing so. They are EXTREMELY Sadistic and Psychopathic, They enjoy touring Their captured city’s people, often raping and stabbing them, then throwing them into mass graves, They also like playing catch with bayonets and using infants as the ball. They say they are saving Asia from Western Imperialism and creating a Co-Prosperity Sphere, but they only use it as an excuse to build an empire of their own. They are willing to take their own life by ramming their plane into an American ship. They are sometimes seen driving megaphone trucks with Rising Sun banners and trying to be the center of attention. Their best friends are Fascism and Nazism, as well as Alt-Right and Manosphere.

How to Draw

[!] Note: This flag can be considered shocking content in China, Taiwan and Korea. Be vary on this.

The flag of Showa Statism is based on the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army, and therefore not to be mistaken with the ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces

Flag of Showa Statism
  1. Draw a ball
  2. Fill in with white
  3. Draw a red circle in the middle
  4. Add sixteen red beams radiating from the circle
  5. Draw slanted eyes
  6. (Optional) Draw a "Kanmuri", a Japanese hat worn by Japanese Emperors throughout history.
Color NameHEXRGB
 White#FFFFFFrgb(255, 255, 255)
 Red#B22D3Drgb(178, 45, 61)


Relationships

大東亞共榮圈 (Co-Prosperity Sphere)

中立 (Neutral)

  • 河豚 - I'm a great ally to him but my Fugu plan will keep you safe. So I can learn your secrets.
  • 銀の軍 - You have the right idea, but you're a filthy American!
  • 日本自民黨 - Well, it could be far worse...
  • 一民主義 - A great student of ours![17] Though Chōsen is Japanese.
  • 主體思想 - Why are you me but communist?!?![18]
  • 淺沼 稻次郎 - A bit too commie and my right-wing factions hated you, but you were a good carrier of my ideas after the war.
  • 毛澤東思想 - 紅の梁山伯! You are not welcome in the our great Asian! But we have a lot of message communication, and we aren't had so much clashes and even I guess that maybe Mao kind of like us so...

西洋帝國主義の走狗 (WESTERN IMPERIALIST SCUM)

Further Information

Literature

Wikipedia

Videos

Gallery

Comics

Portraits and Artwork

Alternative designs

References

  1. [1], JSTOR.org.
  2. [2]
  3. Due to cooperation with zaibatsus
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hisashi_As%C5%8D
  5. During the Paris Peace Conference, Konoe was one of the Japanese diplomats who proposed the Racial Equality Proposal for the Covenant of the League of Nations.
  6. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre
  7. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Massacre
  8. Hostile language is a social movement and censorship that emerged as part of the growing nationalism (nationalism, Japanism) and national control during the protracted China Incident and in the run-up to the Pacific War. Some movements arose spontaneously from private groups and neighborhood associations, while others were censored or guided by law by the Japanese Government (e.g. Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs).
  9. Refers to Showaists and foreign sympathizers with socialist views and genuinely motivated by Pan-Asianism and opposition to Western imperialism.
  10. Refers to Japanese Showaists and foreign collaborators that were inspired by European colonialism and collaborated with the US and Chiang Kai-shek's KMT during the Cold War e.g. Nobusuke Kishi, Masanobu Tsuji, Yoshio Kodama, Matsutarō Shōriki, Yasuji Okamura, Hiroshi Nemoto, Ryochi Sasakawa, etc.
  11. [3]
  12. [4]
  13. [5]
  14. [6]
  15. The Amazon Prime adaptation renames it to the Japanese Pacific States.
  16. https://blitz.bg/lyubopitno/zdravey-bratovchede-kakva-e-vrzkata-mezhdu-todor-zhivkov-i-imperator-khirokhito_news1033127.html
  17. https://fascio.substack.com/p/park-chung-hee-the-korean-tiger
  18. https://www.bitchute.com/video/6R3kd7pPyZGb/, https://www.bitchute.com/video/6D75abaexy2J/ https://fascio.substack.com/p/north-korea-the-truth-about-juche these video explains juche ideology and its relation to japan, "It is worth noting that many fail to mention the fact that Imperial Japanese Korean collaborators played a foundational role in the early Korean Worker's party and the development of its doctrine, despite the party's superficial anti-Japanese rhetoric. While the United States executed Japanese collaborators in South Korea, Joseph Stalin, instead of punishing them, granted them prominent positions within the North Korean regime. They became instrumental in shaping the Juche ideology, which, at its core, bears resemblance to Imperial Japan's ideology. This occurred at a time when General Douglas MacArthur denied Japanese collaborators any influence in their own country, Korea. The Japanese Korean collaborators had more influence in North Korea than their counterparts in the South. Historian Cho Kwan Ja remarked that these collaborators considered themselves "pro-Japanese Korean nationalists," exemplified by figures like dancer and actress Choi Seung-Hee. One notable ethnic Japanese individual involved in the creation of North Korea was Osamu Hatanaka, an intelligence officer in the Japanese Army. Hatanaka was considered one of Kim Il Sung's aides and a close friend of Kim Chaek. There are even allegations that Hatanaka governed North Korea in its early years. B. R. Myers, in his book The Cleanest Race, suggests that the ideology of Juche bears closer resemblance to Imperial Japanese Fascism than Communism. The military is portrayed as a classless entity, acting as the synthesis of the people with the supreme leader, akin to the traditional emperor worship in Japan. Juche positions the supreme leader as a divine entity and the symbol of the state and unity of the people, similar to the aspirations of Japanese National Socialist theoretician Ikki Kita, who advocated for the synthesis of the masses with the Emperor."
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Japanese_Neutrality_Pact

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