Rise of Ultranationalism in Japan - Pacific War #0.3 DOCUMENTARY

Summary

This video script delves into Japan's transformation into a modernized regional power by the early 20th century, highlighting its military successes and territorial expansions. It discusses the political and social changes during the Taishō and early Shōwa eras, including Japan's role in WWI, economic boom, and the rise of militarism and ultranationalism. The script also covers Japan's aggressive policies in China and Manchuria, leading to the establishment of puppet states and setting the stage for the Pacific War.

Takeaways

• 🌟 By the early 20th century, Japan transformed into a modernized regional power, defeating the Chinese and Russian Empires and expanding its influence across East Asia.
• 👑 The death of Emperor Meiji marked the end of an era, leading to new challenges and opportunities for Japan's continued expansion and development.
• 🏰 Japan's involvement in World War I allowed it to seize German colonies in the Pacific and solidify its position in China, despite facing international condemnation.
• 🔥 Post-war, Japan experienced rapid industrial growth but also faced economic challenges like inflation and social unrest, including the rice riots.
• 🌐 The Japanese Empire's efforts to increase its influence in Siberia after the Russian Empire's fall were costly and ultimately unsuccessful.
• 🛳️ Japan emerged from World War I as a naval powerhouse, gaining a permanent seat on the League of Nations and expanding its territories.
• 🏛️ The Taishō Democracy period saw a brief experiment with a two-party system in Japan, but it was marred by political strife and economic challenges.
• 💸 The Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 and the subsequent Great Depression had severe economic impacts, leading to significant policy responses from the Japanese government.
• 🔄 The rise of ultranationalism and Japanese fascism in the countryside was fueled by economic hardship and a desire for strong, centralized leadership.
• ⚔️ The Japanese military, particularly the Kwantung Army, pursued an aggressive expansionist policy in mainland Asia, leading to the invasion of Manchuria and the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo.

Q & A

What significant transformation did Japan undergo by the start of the 20th century?

By the start of the 20th century, Japan had transformed from a pre-industrialized isolationist state into a modernized regional power, defeating both the Chinese and Russian Empires, annexing Korea and Taiwan, and expanding its sphere of influence across East Asia.

What were the consequences of Emperor Meiji's death for Japan's political landscape?

The death of Emperor Meiji sparked a political crisis in the Japanese Empire due to the Meiji Constitution's design that gave the military dominance over the civilian government. This led to public outrage and demands against the oligarchic system of the Japanese Empire.

How did Japan's involvement in World War I contribute to its expansion?

As a result of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, Japan entered World War I on the side of the Entente. It seized the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence in China and the Pacific, where it took control of German colonial possessions such as the Mariana, Caroline, Palau, and Marshall Islands.

What was the economic impact of World War I on Japan?

The wartime boom helped Japan diversify its industry, increase exports, and transform from a debtor to a creditor nation for the first time. However, it also led to rapid inflation and the outbreak of rice riots throughout Japan.

What were the Twenty-One Demands and how did they affect Japan's international relations?

The Twenty-One Demands presented to Chinese President Yuan Shikai in 1915 essentially aimed to transform China into a Japanese protectorate. This move earned Japan international condemnations from its allies, particularly the United States, and Japan eventually withdrew the demands.

How did Japan's intervention in Siberia influence its foreign policy?

The intervention in Siberia after the fall of the Russian Empire aimed to increase Japan's influence in the region. Japan landed almost 70,000 men under General Otani Kikuzo, but the intervention failed, costing the Empire a lot of money and leaving it weakened.

What was the significance of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 for Japan?

The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 established an international capital ship ratio, limited the size and armaments of capital ships, and forced Japan to return the leased territories in Shandong, reflecting a more neutral attitude towards China.

How did the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 affect Japan?

The Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 devastated the capital, causing significant damage and contributing to social unrest. It was one of the factors that led to the government enacting the Peace Preservation Law of 1925, which criminalized socialism, communism, republicanism, and democracy.

What was the role of the Kwantung Army in the Japanese expansion into Manchuria?

The Kwantung Army, established in 1919, became a stronghold for the ultranationalist Kōdōha faction advocating for aggressive expansionist policies in mainland Asia. They orchestrated the Mukden Incident in 1931, which sparked the full-blown Japanese Invasion of Manchuria and the establishment of the Manchukuo puppet state.

How did the February 26 Incident of 1936 influence Japan's political direction?

The February 26 Incident was an attempted coup d’état by Kōdōha followers, which resulted in the death of several government members. Emperor Hirohito opposed the coup, and it was crushed after two days. This led to the purging of the Kōdōha, the abandonment of the London Naval Treaty, and a rise of tensions with China that would inevitably lead to war.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Japan's Rise to Power and Early 20th Century Challenges

The script introduces the transformation of Japan from an isolationist state to a modernized regional power by the early 20th century. It highlights Japan's military victories over China and Russia, territorial expansions, and the influence across East Asia. The death of Emperor Meiji marks a turning point, leading to new challenges and opportunities for Japan. The script also announces a podcast series to delve deeper into the Pacific War and mentions a partnership with Blinkist, a platform for condensed learning from non-fiction books.

05:05

🛠️ Japan's Industrialization and World War I Engagement

This paragraph details Japan's rapid industrialization and modernization under Emperor Meiji, including economic growth, infrastructure development, and military advancements. It discusses the political crisis following Meiji's death, where the military's dominance over the civilian government led to instability. Japan's participation in World War I is explored, including its military campaigns in Asia-Pacific against German colonies and its economic boom supplying war materials to European allies.

10:08

🏰 Post-War Japan: Economic Shifts and Political Struggles

The summary of this paragraph covers Japan's post-World War I scenario, including its emergence as a naval powerhouse, the adoption of a two-party political system known as Taishō Democracy, and the economic and political challenges that followed. It also touches on Japan's foreign policy, such as the Siberian Intervention, the Washington and London Naval Treaties, and the internal social unrest leading to the Peace Preservation Law of 1925.

15:11

🔥 Japan's Militaristic Turn and Prelude to the Pacific War

This paragraph delves into the rise of ultranationalism and Japanese fascism, the influence of the nohonshugi organizations, and the military's growing dominance. It discusses the Kwantung Army's role in the invasion of Manchuria, the establishment of the puppet state Manchukuo, and Japan's withdrawal from the League of Nations. The paragraph concludes with the economic recovery under Takahashi's policies and the rise of militaristic factions within the government.

Keywords

💡Taishō and Early Shōwa eras

The Taishō and Early Shōwa eras refer to distinct periods in Japanese history, with the Taishō era spanning from 1912 to 1926 and the early Shōwa era following it. These periods are significant as they mark the transition from the Meiji era and the rapid modernization of Japan into a global power. The video discusses how Japan's role in World War I and subsequent expansionist policies during these eras contributed to its trajectory towards the Pacific War.

💡Anglo-Japanese Treaty

The Anglo-Japanese Treaty was a series of agreements between the United Kingdom and Japan, which included naval cooperation and mutual support in times of war. In the context of the video, it is mentioned as a factor that led Japan to enter World War I on the side of the Entente powers, allowing Japan to expand its influence in the Pacific and China.

💡Zaibatsu

Zaibatsu were large, family-controlled Japanese conglomerates that played a significant role in the country's rapid industrialization and economic growth. The video highlights how the financial power of the Zaibatsu aided economic growth and contributed to Japan's modernization during the Taishō era.

💡Twenty-One Demands

The Twenty-One Demands were a set of demands made by Japan to China during World War I, which, if accepted, would have effectively turned China into a Japanese protectorate. The video discusses the international condemnation Japan faced for these demands and how they illustrate Japan's expansionist ambitions in China.

💡Siberian Intervention

The Siberian Intervention refers to the period when Japan, along with other Allied powers, sent troops to Siberia following the Russian Revolution. The video mentions this intervention as an example of Japan's attempt to increase its influence in the region, which ultimately failed and cost the empire significantly.

💡Washington Naval Treaty

The Washington Naval Treaty was an international agreement aimed at limiting naval armaments and preventing an arms race. The video discusses how Japan was forced to adopt a more neutral attitude towards China and sign the treaty, which limited its naval expansion and returned the leased territories in Shandong.

💡Kōdōha

Kōdōha was an ultranationalist faction within the Japanese military that sought to establish a militaristic administration under Emperor Hirohito. The video describes their opposition to modernization and economic control by the Zaibatsu, and their desire to expand into Siberia and attack the Soviet Union.

💡Mukden Incident

The Mukden Incident was a staged event used by the Japanese Kwantung Army as a pretext to invade Manchuria. The video explains how this incident led to the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo and marked a significant step in Japan's aggressive expansionist policies.

💡Manchukuo

Manchukuo was a puppet state established by Japan in Northeast China after the invasion of Manchuria. The video discusses how the establishment of Manchukuo allowed Japan to control the political administration of the region and represented a significant expansion of its empire.

💡Lytton Commission

The Lytton Commission was an investigation ordered by the League of Nations to look into the Japanese aggression in Manchuria. The video mentions that Japan's response to the condemnation by the League was to exit the organization, reflecting the growing influence of the military and nationalists in Japan's foreign policy.

💡Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was a Japanese plan to create a bloc of Asian nations led by Japan and free from Western influence. The video suggests that this concept emerged as Japan's military and right-wing factions grew more dominant, and it represented Japan's vision for regional hegemony.

Highlights

Japan's transformation from a pre-industrialized isolationist state into a modernized regional power by the start of the 20th century.

Japan's military victories over the Chinese and Russian Empires, and the annexation of Korea and Taiwan.

The death of Emperor Meiji and the emergence of new problems and opportunities for Japan's continued expansion.

The role of Japan in World War I and its subsequent expansionist developments.

Japan's trajectory towards fascism and the Pacific War during the Taishō and Early Shōwa eras.

The creation of a new podcast series to cover the events of the Pacific War in detail.

Blinkist's partnership and its platform for preserving and sharing knowledge through condensed audio summaries of non-fiction books.

Japan's economic growth and industrialization under Emperor Meiji, including the influence of Zaibatsu and the modernization of the military.

The political crisis following Meiji's death due to the military's dominance over the civilian government.

Japan's entry into World War I and its strategic moves in China and the Pacific, including the seizure of German colonies.

The wartime boom's impact on Japan's industry and economy, and the subsequent social unrest.

Japan's attempts to consolidate its position in China through the Twenty-One Demands and the international response.

Japan's intervention in Siberia following the fall of the Russian Empire and its failure to create an anti-Bolshevik buffer state.

Japan's gains at the Paris Peace Conference, including a permanent seat on the League of Nations and annexation of territories.

The rise of Taishō Democracy and the political strife that ended with the adoption of a two-party system.

The impact of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930 on Japan's naval power and international relations.

The Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 and its devastating effects on Tokyo, leading to social unrest and political changes.

The rise of ultranationalism and Japanese fascism, influenced by the nohonshugi organizations and the military's ultranationalist faction, the Kōdōha.

The Mukden Incident of 1931 and the subsequent Japanese invasion and occupation of Manchuria, leading to the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo.

Japan's exit from the League of Nations following the Lytton Commission's investigation into the Manchurian Incident.

The economic recovery of Japan under Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo's policies and the rise of militaristic fascism.

The February 26 Incident of 1936, an attempted coup d’état by Kōdōha followers, and its aftermath, including the rise of tensions with China.

Transcripts

By the start of the 20th Century, Japan had turned  from a pre-industrialized isolationist state into  

a modernized regional power, defeating both the  Chinese and Russian Empires, annexing Korea and  

Taiwan, and expanding their sphere of influence  across East Asia. But after the death of Emperor  

Meiji, new problems would arise, opportunities  would be taken and Japan would continue to expand  

and develop itself as a rising great power. Today,  we’re going to continue analyzing the evolution of  

the Japanese Empire during the Taishō and Early  Shōwa eras, covering its role in the Great War,  

subsequent expansionist developments, and  the start of its trajectory towards fascism  

and the Pacific War. Unfortunately, not every  event and fun detail can be told in a 20-minute  

video. And in order to alleviate that, we decided  to create a new podcast that will cover the events  

of the Pacific War every Tuesday for 4 years  to accompany these videos. You can find these  

1-hour episodes with interesting additions in the  description and pinned comment. Consider following  

and leaving a review - it helps immensely! 2021 is coming to the end and one of the  

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Preservation of knowledge is one of the noblest  human pursuits and Blinkist is all about  

preserving and sharing knowledge by making it  easily digestible even for the busiest among us.  

Blinkist takes the most interesting and relevant  non-fictional books and turns them into 15-minute  

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It is July 30, 1912. Emperor Meiji is dead,  his family is mourning him, and his heir is  

preparing to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne  as Emperor Taishō. For the past four decades,  

Meiji had overseen the modernization and  industrialization of the Japanese Empire,  

which underwent an extensive political, economic  and social revolution. On his funeral, a massive  

procession gathered to pay homage to the Emperor  that had brought a new era for Japan. Of this  

event, the New York Times wrote that “the contrast  between that which preceded the funeral car and  

that which followed it was striking indeed. Before  it went old Japan; after it came new Japan”.  

And in this new Japan, many differences could  be already noticed, such as a great economic  

growth in many sectors, aided by the financial  power of the Zaibatsu business conglomerates  

and by the introduction of electric power; a heavy  government investment in engineering, industry and  

railway building that resulted in the rapid  industrialization of Japan; the establishment  

of a Western-based education system; and the  complete modernization of the Army and Navy. 

Yet the death of Meiji would also spark a  political crisis in the Japanese Empire,  

as the Meiji Constitution was written in such  a way that the military had dominance over  

the civilian government: if the IJA or the IJN  refused to appoint a minister for the new cabinet,  

then the cabinet couldn’t be formed and  the government would be interrupted.  

When this happened two times in 1912 and 1913,  the acting Prime Ministers were forced to resign.  

In response, the public was outraged due to  the military manipulation of the cabinet,  

and soon, demands against the oligarchic  system of the Japanese Empire began to emerge. 

But the political uprisings would  have to temporarily take a break,  

as in Europe, the First World War broke out in  1914 between the Central Powers and the Entente.  

As a consequence of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty,  Japan entered the war on the side of the Entente,  

seizing the opportunity to expand its sphere  of influence in China and the Pacific,  

where the German Empire had colonial possessions.  While Australia and New Zealand launched invasions  

against German Samoa and German New Guinea,  Vice-Admiral Sadakichi Kato of the 2nd Fleet  

started the blockade of the German colony  of Tsingtao and Vice-Admiral Yamaya Tanin  

of the South Seas Squadron started to pursue  the fleeing German East Asia Squadron towards  

the Marshall Islands. Quickly, the IJN seized the  Mariana, Caroline, Palau and Marshall Islands with  

virtually no resistance, and the IJA landed  on Shandong to start the Siege of Tsingtao.  

After two months, Tsingtao fell on November 7, and  the city was occupied by Japanese troops. The IJN  

would also continue to support naval operations  in the Pacific against German raiders and,  

eventually, it would even send squadrons into the  Mediterranean to help the Entente in the region. 

During the war, Japan increasingly filled orders  for needed war material for its European allies.  

The wartime boom helped to diversify the  country's industry, increase its exports,  

and transform Japan from a debtor to a  creditor nation for the first time, although  

this industrial boom also led to a rapid inflation  and the outbreak of rice riots throughout Japan.  

Meanwhile in China, the Empire attempted  to consolidate its position in the region  

by presenting the Twenty-One Demands to Chinese  President Yuan Shikai in 1915. These demands  

essentially transformed China into a Japanese  protectorate, and in response, the Japanese earned  

the international condemnations of their allies,  particularly from the United States. In the end,  

Japan withdrew the demands, but it would  continue to extend its influence in China  

via more subtle means. The Fall of the Russian  Empire in 1917 also saw the Japanese wanting to  

increase their influence in the region with  an intervention in Siberia, landing almost  

70000 men under the orders of General Otani  Kikuzo and penetrating as far west as Lake Baikal.  

In 1919, as the British and American expeditionary  forces withdrew, the Japanese decided to stay for  

three more years with the objective of creating  an anti-Bolshevik buffer state in Siberia;  

an enterprise that would fail, costing a  lot of money for the Empire. That same year,  

Japan’s representative, Saionji Kinmochi, sat  alongside the “Big Four” at the Paris Peace  

Conference. As a result of the peace treaties,  the Japanese Empire gained a permanent seat on  

the Council of the League of Nations, annexed  the German leased territories in Shandong  

and was granted the South Seas Mandate  over the Pacific islands they had occupied. 

After the war ended, the Japanese  Empire emerged as a naval powerhouse,  

having the third largest navy in the world  and learning important anti-submarine warfare  

techniques and technologies that contributed  to future Japanese submarine developments.  

Back home, the political strife ended with  the adoption of a two-party political system  

known as the Taishō Democracy. But the failure of  the Siberian Intervention and the termination of  

the Anglo-Japanese Treaty would leave Japan alone  and weakened, forcing the Empire to adopt a more  

neutral attitude towards China and to sign the  Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the subsequent  

London Naval Treaty of 1930, that established an  international capital ship ratio, limited the size  

and armaments of capital ships and forced Japan  to return the leased territories in Shandong.  

Furthermore, the national debt started to grow  again because of the renewed export competition,  

the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 devastated  the capital, a Communist Party dangerous to  

current regime was founded, and the rise of  the tenant farmer movement led to the outbreak  

of social unrest. Although the communists  and the tenants were brutally repressed,  

thus ending the threats they posed, economic  and political pressures forced the government  

to enact the Peace Preservation Law of 1925  that essentially criminalized socialism,  

communism, republicanism, and democracy. This  was the end of the Taishō Democracy, with Emperor  

Taishō dying himself the next year. Upon the  death of his father, Prince Hirohito ascended  

to the Chrysanthemum Throne on December 25, 1926. Hirohito would have a rough start as Emperor, with  

the outbreak of the Shōwa Financial Crisis in the  first year of rule. Many businesses went bankrupt,  

exports decreased, silk and rice prices plummeted,  and unemployment skyrocketed. The situation  

worsened with the Great Depression of 1929, but  Japan’s Finance Minister, Takahashi Korekiyo,  

would start working to devalue the currency  and to provide economic relief, measures that  

would be very successful. The four major Zaibatsu  also managed to avoid great losses in the panic,  

leading to their domination over every field  of Japanese industry in the following years.  

In the countryside, the establishment of  nohonshugi organizations led to the emergence  

of emperor-centered ultranationalism and Japanese  fascism. The nohonshugi won increasing support  

because they offered solutions to the economic  problems of the rural countryside: it was their  

practical program of cooperatives and credit  associations, not their ideology, that accounted  

for their growing popularity and local influence. This new Japanese nationalism leaned on the  

Bushidō moral code and the idea of racial  superiority over other Asian nations.  

It was aimed against Western criticism and  restrictions on Japanese immigration. In the  

military itself, an ultranationalist faction known  as the Kōdōha was formed by General Sadao Araki,  

seeking to purge the corruption in the government  by establishing a militaristic administration run  

by Emperor Hirohito himself. Moreover, the Kōdōha  disliked modernization and the economic control of  

the Zaibatsu, and also wanted to crush communism  once and for all by attacking the Soviet Union  

and expanding into Siberia. Opposed to them was  the more moderate Tōseiha faction, which was also  

right-wing, but acknowledged that the IJA needed  the support of the Zaibatsu and the continuation  

of a modernization process to wage global war. Meanwhile in Manchuria, the Kwantung Army had  

been established back in 1919 to defend the  Liaodong Peninsula and the South Manchurian  

Railway. In the following decade, this army would  become a stronghold for the Kōdōha, advocating for  

a more aggressive expansionist policy in mainland  Asia and going so far as to plot the assassination  

of the Manchurian warlord Zhang Zuolin. In 1931,  seeking the perfect excuse to expand into the  

rich region of Manchuria, the Kwantung leaders  purposely sabotaged the Japanese-controlled  

railway to blame the Chinese garrison nearby  and thus start a conflict in the region.  

On September 18, the plan of the Kwantung Army  was executed and the Mukden Incident soon sparked  

a full-blown Japanese Invasion of Manchuria. Soon,  every city along the South Manchurian Railway fell  

into Japanese hands, and by October, the Kwantung  Army had occupied the Jilin, Taonan, Yanbian and  

Eastern Liaoning areas. Although initially shocked  by the insubordination, the government was now  

impressed by the quick victories in Manchuria and  was starting to send reinforcements on their way.  

In the following months, the Jiangqiao and  Jinzhou Campaigns secured the Western Liaoning  

and Qiqihar areas, and the fall of Harbin finally  destroyed the remaining resistance in the region.  

With Manchuria firmly under Japanese control,  the Kwantung army established the Manchukuo  

puppet state and started a pacification  campaign that allowed them to control the  

political administration of this new state.  Despite its insubordination, the Kwantung  

Army would be rewarded for its great success,  establishing a new era of gekokujo inside the IJA.  

In response to the Western condemnation  of the Japanese aggression, the League  

of Nations ordered the Lytton Commission to  investigate the incident, which prompted Japan  

to exit the League of Nations, a decision that was  influenced by the military and the nationalists. 

By 1933, Takahashi’s policies had managed to bring  Japan to an economic recovery; but the next year,  

the Finance Minister reduced military  spending to avoid inflation, which resulted  

in a strong negative response from the strong  militaristic fascism that was rising in Japan.  

As the military’s dominance over the government  continued to grow after the May 15 Incident,  

the country saw the emergence of right-wing  admirals that wanted unlimited naval growth  

and the Empire started to dream about a Greater  East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. From 1933 to 1936,  

the Japanese would use proxy armies in Inner  Mongolia with the objective of creating a  

Mongolian buffer state next to Manchukuo. The  successes in the provinces of Jehol and Chahar  

allowed for the establishment of the Inner  Mongolian Autonomous Government, a Japanese puppet  

state under the rule of Prince Demchugdongrub.  Since 1934, the retirement of General Araki led  

to the decline in influence of the Kōdōha faction,  culminating in the February 26 Incident of 1936,  

an attempted coup d’état by Kōdōha followers. The  coup resulted in the death of several government  

members and Tōseiha followers, including  Minister Takahashi and General Jōtarō Watanabe,  

yet Hirohito opposed the coup and the uprising was  crushed after two days. The following months saw  

the purging of the Kōdōha, the abandonment of  the London Naval Treaty and a rise of tensions  

with China that would inevitably lead to war. Next week our coverage of the prelude to the  

Pacific War will continue - we are going  to turn to the other side of the Pacific  

to look at the United States, its objectives in  East Asia and the consequences of World War I,  

so make sure you are subscribed and have pressed  the bell button to see the next video in the  

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