Why did Japan become a militaristic state?

Why did Japan become a Militaristic and Imperial State?

Reasons for Imperial expansion

• Uniting Asian provinces 'their Asian destiny'
• Security
• Resources for fueling industrial growth
• Becoming an International power
• Competing with European power in Asia

Imperial Expansion

• Authoritarian Governors that were given both legislative and executive powers
• Before 1910 there been no colonial office to deal with overseas territories
• difficulty with territories led to greater influence of the military on the governorship
• 'faithful Japanese followers, not able Japanese Leaders'
• Colonial subjects were only seen as part of the lower levels of the social order

Conclusion

• Ideas of nationalism were widespread throughout political spectrum
• Strong popular support from the military
• Nationalism led to support of the military
• military power led to widespread acceptance of imperialist ambitions

Left wing (liberals)

Government and military relations

Inter-War Japan

• Siniawer argues that nationalism of liberal thinkers was key in forming a militaristic state
• Militarism occurred against a backdrop of increasing violence from right-wing nationalist groups
• 'Complicity' from government that did not intervene
• Number of territorial dependencies prerequisite for Imperial expansion
• Inter-war boom led to increased desire for raw materials
• Imperial desire fed by right wing political groups as well as military figures

• Mainly disparate intellectuals, some organisation present however
• Denounced state's tolerance of violence as early as 1923
• Condemned violent right wing as tyrannical
• Believed the state's first duty was to preserve order, as such held nationalist tendencies
• Encouraged control by state, or at least ambivalent to power
• Failed to form truly organised response to right wing groups
• Communist party joined nationalists in 1933

• Increasing divergence between Military leadership and civilian government
• Armed Forces had theoretical potential to bring down cabinets through resignations
• Hanneman:
• 'growing weakness of the civillian government vis-a-vis the military'
• Exception with PM Tanaka (1927-29) who supported military action in China
• PM Hamaguchi gunned down November 1930 by right wing activist supporting the military

Emergence of Nationalism embracing the State

• Left and right included in supporting state embracing nationalism
• "the 'love of society' that was the foundation of liberal states was rejected in totalitarian ethnic nations like Japan in favor of 'love of the fatherland' - Doak on Shirayangi
• state could be supported by nationalism
• totalitarianism accepted due to racial unity of state and nation
• ethno-nationalism not civil society basis of the state
• "No longer an agent for oppressing the common people, the state has become the people's natural protector and advocate" - Doak

The right wing

Positive liberalism and nationalism

Ethno-Nationalism

• Formed into violent nationalist groups in 1920s
• Labeled Boryokudan (violence groups) by liberal thinkers
• Violently subdued labour strikes
• Most criticised by liberal thinkers was Dai Nihon Kokusuikai, which had 200,000 members at peak and 90 branches
• Claimed violence was an expression of loyalty to Emperor
• Kokusuikai seen as harbingers of violent, ideological strife by liberals
• Supported the military's power and government control

• Belief in freedom to rather than freedom from
• Susceptible to totalitarianism
• Akami
• "liberals gave more emphasis to political participation thanindividual freedom for the state"
• Tomoko
• "the fundamental dilemma of liberalism in the age of mass-based democracy: how far the state could intervene against individual liberty for the sake of the welfare of the society as a whole"
• Berlin believed that individualism gave way to perception of 'true self' being part of a 'social 'whole''. Ideally suited to nationalism

• Initial challenge to state authority
• Conflict between modernisation and Japanese identity
• Kohn - "nationalism is first and foremost a state of mind"
• Tension between ethnic nation and state
• widespread sense government was not representative of the nation
• Fukuzawa
• "In Japan there is a government but no nation"