Japanese fascism
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The generic term Japanese fascism has been used to refer to Japanese nationalist thinking, its ideological foundation and the outlines of its political implementation. Another possible use of the term is for Japanese right-wing (far right) thinking in general. It can also be associated with the assertion of continuity between the older Japanese polity, from the 3rd century Yamato kingdom times up to the Meiji period, with the Showa nationalism (from the 1920s until August 1945); despite the internal peace of the Edo period that separates the feudal times from the era of modernisation.
The use of the term fascism in relation to Japan has always been contentious and disputed.
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Bases of Japanese nationalism
Japanese nationalism is in fact quite different from European fascism, yet in parts its development can be seen as comparable. Elements of it have been discussed under the label of Asiatic Fascism or Japanese Fascism.
The Yamato Empire had the concept of the state as led by a powerful singular leader (Emperor). In feudal times, the military caste, that included the bushi and the samurai, were organized as a single headquarters-like structure, the Shogunate, which represented the required civil and political power. In this period, that constituted the basic social composition, power structures and the foundation of law. It can be divided into three stages:
- Kamakura Period (1185-1333)
- Muromachi Period (1338-1573)
- Tokugawa Period (1603-1867)
After the Meiji Restoration and the birth of the Empire of Japan, the result seems similar to what has been described above; yet it developed under different circumstances.
This time, there was a leader, who had sufficient power to expand the state, to provide for a homogeneous national education, religion and leverage the pride of the population in local and national history. This developed into Emperor worship centered around Amaterasu Omikami. The contribution of ideologus such as Kita Ikki, Nakano Seigo and others, when combined with the right wing organizations and Nationalistssocieties, led to the development of the Japanese version of a 'socialist' state.
The Japanese people were motivated by a revival of of ancient ideals and customs. These nostalgic elements of Samurai feudalism, culture, costumes and myths were put in the service of the national belief of Japan's divine mission to control the rest of the Asian continent.
Militarism with socialism
The desire of the military leaders to maintain political power, as well as the national goal of territorial expansion, resulted in both a significant expansion of Japan's military capacity and the repression of those who opposed that policy. This constellation allowed for the concept of the emperor to be translated into modern times.
The special relation of militarists and the central civil government with the Imperial Family supported the important position of Emperor as Head of State with political powers, and the relationship with the nationalist right-wing movements. Japanese thought also took on board some collectivist ideas, from contemporary European socialism and Marxism, or social Darwinism. Contact with some European Fascist thinking came later, with the Axis Alliance.
Under this ascendancy of the military, the country developed as a type of socialist state, of a kind anyway more predominant than in its European counterparts in economic matters. 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. 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.
Sadao Araki and other local thinkers was established these connection of the ancient and contemporary nationalists local and European fascist ideas, to conform the local bases (Japanese fascism), for more later surging the Japanese nationalism (Showa nationalism) Ideology.
Some of the distinctive features of this polity were exported. The puppet states (Manchukuo, Mengjiang or Reformed Government of the Republic of China) were later organized on comparable militarist-socialist doctrine lines. (In the case of Wang Chingwei state, he himself had some German influences, prior to the Japanese invasion of China meeting with German leaders and taking over some fascist ideas already during his Kuomingtang administration times. These he combined with Japanese militarist thinking.) Japanese agents also supported local and nationalist elements, in Southeast asia, and White Russian resident in Manchukuo, before war broke out.
Political pourposes of Japanese fascists
Motifs of militarists, right-socialists, and native fascists followers if created one "new revolution" for returning to ancient Shogunate system, but in form of contemporaryMilitary Shogunate with new structures, were at difference of ancient system, if organized by result of Japanese Navy and Japanese Army Clans melting under command of supreme military native dictator (Shogun)in one militarist-socialist country.
In such government the Tenno if more reduced in your functions for convert in virtual image for political or religious use under control of militarists in more strictly form why present state in country.
At these political theories also added later european fascists elements, to conformed one similar for of all european style-dictatorship, where exists one leader very similar at Führer or Duce, along your respective political right-socialists movement why centralized all political and military power, for conduct the objetives of nation to defeated exterior enemy countries and finally conduct the "inner ideological revolution" againstreactionaires and decadents oldests strutures of higth classes, for permit to low masses, why represent the bases of militarists and your follower(farmers, fishers, industrial workers, etc), asceded to social scale and receiving social justice and satisfied all popular neededs, along the raising of radical military to direct control of all political power in nation.
The one particular concept exploited by the ultranationalists and localfascists was a decree made by Emperor Jimmu in 660 AD, the policy of hakko ichiu (All eight corners of the world under one roof).While Emperor Jimmu's policy really only extended to Japan, China and Korea,the world he knew at the time, it was the belief that all of the world should be brought under the imperial rule of the divine Emperors, a sort of religious manifest destiny.
While various leaders tried it over the centuries, it was a goal that was to color Japanese thinking through the Second World War.
The bases of the modern form of hakko ichiu were to develop after 1868 and would take the following form:
A)Japan is the center of the world,with its ruler, the Tenno (Emperor),a divine being, who derives his divinity through ancestral descent from the great Amaterasu-Omikami,the Goddess of the Sun herself.
B)The Kami (Japan's gods and godesses) have Japan under their special protection.Thus the people and soil of Dai Nippon and all its institutions are superior to all others.
C)All of these attributes are fundamental to the Kodoshugisha (Imperial Way) and give Japan a divine mission to bring all nations under one roof, so that all humanity can share the advantage of being ruled by the Tenno.
The concept of the divine Emperors was another belief that was twisted to fit the later goals of the ultranationalists and local fascists.It was an integral part of the Japanese religious structure that the Emperor was divine, descended directly from the line of Ama-Terasu (or Amaterasu, the Sun Kami or Goddess).
The final idea that was modified in modern times was the concept of Bushido. Bushido was the warrior code and laws of feudal Japan, that while having cultural surface differences, was at its heart not that differentfrom the code of chivalry or any other similar system in other cultures.in later years, the code of Bushido found a resurgence in belief following the Meiji Restoration. At first, this allowed Japan to field what was considered one of the most professional and humane militaries in the world, one respected by friend and foe alike. Eventually, however, this belief would become a combination of propaganda and fanaticism that would lead to the brutality carried out in the China War of the 1930s and the Second World War.
It was the third concept, especially, that would chart Japan's course towards several wars that would culminate with World War Two.
By 1882, Japan was a formidable regional force,with a revamped infrastructure and reorganized military. By 1890, this had grown even more and Japan began looking at playing the game of colonial power under a growing belief in a modern form of hakko ichiu, one supported by the secret societies and many in the military and government (often these forces were all one in the same). The western powers were all around the Pacific and Asia, a point that was taken to heart by the Japanese.
Taken how example at Great Britain,who developed a close relationship with the Japanese.Now, the Japanese decided to begin its empire building.Its first item was settling the Korean question.
In the background, this was also the time of the rise of the secret societies, many of which had symbiotic ties to the oligarchs and the Zaibatsus. The Choshu and Satsuma also came to dominate the military establishment of Japan, with the Chosu controlling the Japanese Army and the Satsuma the Japanese Navy.
Later, such concepts blended with fascist thought and developed the concept of the Military Shogunate.
See Also
- Japanese militarism
- Japanese nationalism
- Empire of Japan
- Militarism-Socialism in Showa Japan
- comparison of European Fascism with Japanese ideology
- Nakano Seigo
- Kita Ikki
- Double Leaf Society
- Kazushige Ugaki
- Tosei-Ha
- Sadao Araki
- Koda-Ha
- Hideki Tojo
- Imperial Way Faction
- Japanese Doctrines in Showa Period
- Japanese political and military nationalist organizations
- List of Japanese Nationalist Movements and Parties
- Political situation in Japan(1914-1944)
- Eugenics measures in Japanese Empire
- Yasukuni Jinja
- Kokka Shakai Shugi Gakumei (The National Socialist League, local party in 1940s times)
- Dai-Nippon Patriot Party (Japanese nationalist group in present days)
- NSJAP (National Socialists Japanese workers Party)
Some References
- Bix, Herbert. (1982) "Rethinking Emperor-System Fascism" Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars. v. 14, pp. 20-32.
- Dore, Ronald, and Tsutomu Ouchi. (1971) "Rural Origins of Japanese Fascism. " in Dilemmas of Growth in Prewar Japan, ed. James Morley. Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 181-210. ISBN 069103074X
- Duus, Peter and Daniel I. Okimoto. (1979) "Fascism and the History of Prewar Japan: the Failure of a Concept, " Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 39, no. 1 , pp. 65-76.
- Fletcher, William Miles. (1982) The Search for a New Order: Intellectuals and Fascism in Prewar Japan. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807815144
- Maruyama, Masao. (1963) "The Ideology and Dynamics of Japanese Fascism" in Thought and Behavior in Modern Japanese Politics, ed. Ivan Morris. Oxford. pp. 25-83.
- McGormack, Gavan. (1982) "Nineteen-Thirties Japan: Fascism?" Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars v. 14 pp. 2-19.
- Morris, Ivan. ed. (1963) Japan 1931-1945: Militarism, Fascism, Japanism? Boston: Heath.
- Tanin, O. and E. Yohan. (1973) Militarism and Fascism in Japan. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press. ISBN 0837154782
External Links
- http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/bds1.htm (About Japanese Nationalist groups, Kempeitai, Kwantung Army, Group 371 and other relationed topics)
(additional info about Japanese secret societies)
- Article on Alan Tansman's forthcoming book, The Aesthetics of Japanese Fascism
Categories: Articles which may contain original research | NPOV disputes | Cleanup from June 2005 | History of Japan
