During World War II, the Japanese army was known for its fierce and tyrannical image, but behind this seemingly fearless attitude was the influence of the pathological and inhumane perverted "bushido" ideology of the Japanese nation. In order to make the soldiers take it for granted that they would charge into battle and regard death as if they were at home, the Japanese army used two magic weapons: spreading rumors and supervising the war by the gendarmerie. These tactics stirred up the fighting spirit and morale of the Japanese soldiers by stirring up national fanaticism. The Japanese army used the means of creating rumors to promote the courage of the soldiers. On October 15, 1944, when the war in the southwest Pacific was in full swing, Radio Tokyo released a message declaring that "since October 12, our (Japanese) troops have stormed the enemy's mobile forces in the waters east of Taiwan and Luzon overnight, crushing more than half of their forces and forcing them to retreat." This news shocked the world. The Japanese base camp then issued a comprehensive war report, claiming that 11 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 1 cruiser or destroyer had been sunk, and 8 aircraft carriers and 2 battleships had been damaged. At the same time, 13 unknown other ships and 12 ships that were seen to hit the fire, 112 aircraft were also destroyed.
As a result of this "great victory", the morale of the Japanese army was greatly boosted, but in fact the Japanese suffered a serious blow, and two destroyers suffered heavy losses. During the Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese army disseminated news of the heavy losses suffered by the American army through loudspeakers. The Asahi Shimbun and other newspapers also printed on the front page in prominent bold letters about the repeated victories of the Japanese army in the decisive battles on Okinawa. Naturally, the results of these "great victories" greatly boosted the morale of the Japanese army. Secondly, the military police supervision is also an important means of the Japanese army. In a war-weary situation, the situation can spiral out of control without extensive gendarmerie oversight. According to the statistics of the Japanese Military Police Command, in 1944 alone, there were 6,233 anti-war incidents in Japan. To make matters worse, some people began to curse and resentful the emperor. It can be seen that during World War II, the Japanese army used rumors and military police to boost morale, which was cruel and inhumane. Now, we should learn from this history and avoid something like this from happening again.
In today's society, all countries and international organizations in the world should unite to uphold fairness and justice, and prevent any country or organization from using rumors, propaganda and other inhumane means to incite national fanaticism. We must recognize that the maintenance of peace requires the efforts of all humankind, and that it is a long and long process. However, it is important that we pay attention to this issue and remain vigilant in order to create a safer world for peace. Let us remember history and not repeat the mistakes of the past. Japanese Gendarmerie - The iron-fisted repression of Japanese militarismThe Japanese gendarmerie played an important role during the Japanese militarist period, functioning like the French gendarmerie but more like the Gestapo in substance. From 1881 to 1945, the gendarmerie continued to grow in size, and by March 31, 1945, Japan had decided to establish a gendarmerie in every prefecture. The gendarmerie enforced the law and maintained law and order within the army, and became the main tool of the Japanese army to supervise the war, but what impact did this move have in practice? On the eve of the Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese gendarmerie reached 36,037 personnel, including 1,843 officers. Under the influence of Japanese militarist ideology, the gendarmerie became a tool for the Japanese army to maintain military discipline and carry out suppression.
According to Tsuneo Watanabe, editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun, the Japanese gendarmerie has even pushed many members to join the so-called death squads. However, when the Japanese army broke away from the actual control of the organization and fell into despair, their weak side was also exposed. In particular, in the Okinawa region, where militarist ideology has not penetrated into the Japanese mainland, the influence of the gendarmerie is even more pronounced. During the Battle of Okinawa, the U.S. military captured a total of 322 Japanese troops in the months leading up to June 15. However, from June 15 to June 30, the surrender of the Japanese army changed significantly as the monitoring of the gendarmerie collapsed. The surrender of individuals and groups has been on the rise, and there have even been cases of formed units surrendering under the leadership of officers. The Third Marine Corps alone contained 4,029 Japanese surrenderers. In addition, some Japanese soldiers took off their military uniforms and disguised themselves as civilians in order to escape capture. The U.S. military captured more than 1,700 Japanese soldiers from these civilians. Throughout the history of the Japanese gendarmerie, it played an important role in the period of Japanese militarism and became the main force in maintaining military discipline and implementing militarist policies. However, when the Japanese army faced a frustration and a desperate situation, the influence of the gendarmerie was also weakened, and even large-scale surrender occurred.
What does this historical event teach us? In today's world, will similar militaristic ideas still have a similar impact on the state and society? Let's think about it and leave a message to share your thoughts.