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A war for all
When a Japan journalist asked a middle school girl and her companion in the '30s why they didn't wear cotton clothes in winter, she replied firmly: "Because we think of the soldiers who fought in Manchuria, we can endure the cold." ”
Throughout the war, the Japan government launched an overwhelming political propaganda campaign that mobilized its own people throughout – leaders in Japan firmly believed that the people of this country possessed great spiritual power, and that this power was far greater than any human and material resources.
With the blessing of this spiritual power, the Japanese showed a jaw-dropping unity and cohesion during World War II: most naval officers and men knew that they would definitely die, but still rushed to demand to fly the "Huitian torpedo"; The young pilots of the "kamikaze" did not hesitate to fly their planes and die together with the enemy ships.
Steeped in decades of educational, military, and religious traditions, a passionate Japan can sacrifice everything for the sake of the so-called "country and emperor." Of the three Axis powers, Hideki Tojo was far from being a dictator – his dictatorial power was even inferior to that of his rival – and that was Chairman Chiang in Chongqing.
But it was precisely because of this national cohesion and obedience, and of course the pervasive secret police and joint security, from high-ranking government officials down to peasants on the edge of the fields, that Japan hardly had "dissidents" throughout the war, both in action and in thought.
There is no doubt that there is no need to try to clear the name, the war waged by Japan is a war of the whole people. During the long war years, the Japanese not only had to endure a long period of hunger, but their women, like the men, would be shirtless and struggle to wield pickaxes in the coal mines; Japan's boys and girls not only have to work long hours in factories, but are also formed into various "iron-blooded imperial teams" to deliver supplies to the front line and carry out combat missions; Children and the elderly, who have been evacuated to the countryside, also do their part, digging up pine roots and filling the craters on the runway. Even the dancers and monks in the city were conscripted to engage in military logistics services.
Although United States bombers burned almost all Japan cities and killed more than a million Japanese civilians, at the same time there were still millions, tens of millions of civilians, wielding bamboo guns, kitchen knives, and sickles, ready to fight to the death against the landing Allied troops.
Fortunately, they ultimately failed.
Distorted education
Japan's path to prosperity began with the Meiji Restoration, but the oligarchs who led Japan's "full westernization" shrewdly found a shortcut to make the Western world at that time truly accept Japan - not to really accept and implement Western values, but to make this ancient country look like a Western country in every external aspect.
Since in the eyes of Westerners, if Japan wants to become an advanced country that can win their respect, it must first have a constitutional government. So, give Westerners a constitutional government with Japan characteristics.
In 1881, Emperor Meiji announced that Japan would promulgate a constitution in the next 10 years, and Ito Hirobumi, who led the Japan mission to Europe to study the constitutional system, met Bismarck, the "iron-blooded prime minister", in Germany and threw himself into the five bodies that he admired. Naturally, Ito spent most of his time studying in Germany and was impressed by the German jurist Rudolf · von · Gniester who insisted that the constitution should not cater to democratic tastes, but must be firmly rooted in the country's traditions.
Hirobumi Ito then enshrined the Prussian constitution as a model for future Japan constitutions. The first goal of these revitalizing ministers was to restore the supremacy of the emperor, but that was limited to that. In the future polity they designed, the emperor would be high above the throne, but he would have to remain insulated from actual power.
The Japan Constitution, promulgated in 1889, is the embodiment of this goal. It reaffirmed the ancient myth of the Emperor's divine lineage, proclaimed him as "sacred and undesecrated," and preached that the Emperor's succession was "one line for all generations." At the same time, the constitution clearly stated that any law promulgated by the emperor was null and void without the approval of the Imperial Diet.
The Imperial Diet is the Diet of Japan, consisting of the House of Nobles and the House of Representatives, both of which are elected from Japan's elite. Not surprisingly, the classes that control the core of power are extremely reluctant to hand over their power to the Japan masses, and equally to the elected representatives.
Thus, through some means, the number of voters in early Japan was limited to 6% of the total population – a proportion "just right" comparable to the number of samurai in old Japan – and, of course, the imperial government of Japan would tell the lower classes that this was just a "coincidence."
In the later implementation of the bill, the House of Lords can veto the legislative bills proposed by the House of Commons.
But this is such a superficial "democracy" that has already satisfied Western countries, and only four years after Japan's constitution came into force, United Kingdom took the lead in removing extraterritoriality over Japan, and other Western countries followed suit.
It must be said that the Meiji monarchs showed astonishing strategic vision and wisdom in the process of catching up with the West, and they unanimously realized that the success or failure of the Restoration would depend to a large extent on the education of the Japan people.
In 1872, Japan began a compulsory education program, and one of the most important elements of this program was to establish 54,000 elementary schools throughout Japan. Universal compulsory education has brought about a seismic change in Japan: in 1860, most of the population in Japan was illiterate, and by around 1900, Japan had become the most educated country in Asia, with 95% of its citizens reading and writing.
Like everything else foreign to Japan, education gradually took on the madness and distortion characteristic of the island nation: Emperor Meiji issued an edict in 1890, "The Edict on Education," which eventually established a basic code of morality for the entire country.
In this edict, which later became extremely sacred, the emperor strongly exhorted the people to shoulder their duty to fight hard in even a conflict that could not be won: "Whatever unexpected happens, we must bravely contribute ourselves to the country in order to protect and maintain the prosperity of our imperial power, so that it can coexist with heaven and earth." ”
It is estimated that other countries will have to be put aside, and this kind of edict will be promulgated, and it will not be long before it will be almost forgotten. But in schools in Japan, the recitation of the Edict of Education soon became a religious ritual.
Anyone who touches these scrolls with "sacred words" written on them is required to wear white gloves. In extreme cases, individual principals will commit suicide if they accidentally drop the edict on the ground, or if they make a mistake in reading it.
People who don't know Japan may be shocked by this, but considering that they can give up anything when the school building catches fire, the edict must be rescued as soon as possible - in fact, there is no fuss.
All school curricula are designed to foster a strong sense of patriotism, and the national symbol of Japan is the Emperor himself.
According to the goals set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Culture, the purpose of history education is "to enable children to understand the basic characteristics of the empire and to cultivate their national spirit." The purpose of geography classes is to "instill in them a love for the country".
Since then, generations of Japan elementary and junior high school students have followed the routine of "long-distance worship" and bowed in the direction of the Imperial Palace for 60 seconds every morning. They were also constantly taught that at the time of assembly, if the emperor occasionally came, they must bow their heads and look at the ground as a sign of reverence for him.
Every day, these Japan boys are constantly asked by their teachers, "What are your ideals?" ”
The children would shout out in unison in a childish voice the only standard reply: "Die for the Emperor!" ”
Decades later, many of them did so with the help of the Chinese, Americans, United Kingdom and Soviets.
The Road to War
Heavy industry was the primary target of the Meiji government's vigorous development, as they wanted to build their own industrial system that would not be controlled by Western capitalists, while also establishing their own independent military industrial system. The Japanese developed their own industry completely from scratch, rejecting all foreign investment and groping their way on their own.
"Learning about industry and overcoming its difficulties is a responsibility that the government must fulfill." This is what the leaders of the Meiji government often say, and they did the same. In the early years of the Restoration, the Japan government's only revenue was land tax, and they struggled to build and operate their own factories with limited tax revenue.
After completing the army's self-sufficiency in light equipment, new consumer goods factories began to be built step by step, and Japan's own industrial system was built step by step. People throughout Japan have been taught to equate strenuous and low-paid work with patriotism, and it is this educational achievement that has underpinned the steady development of Japan's industry.
The Meiji government did not take control of all the factories in its own hands, and from 1880 onwards, the government gradually relinquished ownership of all non-military enterprises. Some of these companies are sold at very low prices to particularly capable individuals or partners.
Japan's merchants and business-minded samurai reaped the rewards in the process, and a handful of them became the largest chaebols that would become not only industrial giants, but also controlled every aspect of the Japan economy through their conglomerates. These chaebols have formed a symbiotic relationship with the government, and their development is escorted by the government, and the growing chaebol has also pushed the government to continue military aggression abroad to meet the raw materials and market needs that far exceed what Japan can satisfy.
In 1875, Japan annexed the inhospitable Kuril Islands north of Hokkaido; In 1876, the Ogasawara Islands in southern Japan were annexed; In 1879, the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, were annexed.
In 1894, when the Chinese army sent troops to quell the rebellion at the request of the vassal state of Korea, Japan seized the opportunity to use this as a pretext to intervene militarily, and in the subsequent Sino-Japanese War, Japan defeated the Manchu Qing government, and seized Korea, China's Port Arthur, the Liaodong Peninsula, Weihaiwei, and the island of Taiwan.
But soon, Germany, France, and Russia taught Japan a good example of imperialism: they joined forces to force Japan to spit out all the spoils except for Taiwan – and then turned around and divided it among themselves.
Ten years later, Japan and Russia fought another major war around Korea, and the Russia Empire, known as the "steamroller of Europe", was defeated on both land and sea, which really shocked the world.
Under the mediation of United States, Japan and Russia signed a peace treaty, in which Russia recognized Japan's "permanent political, military, and economic interests" in Korea. In addition to this, Japan gained control of the Liaodong Peninsula, southern Sakhalin, and the South Manchurian Railway.
1910, Japan.
After the outbreak of World War I, Japan sided with the Allies and took advantage of the chaos on the European continent to seize all Germany privileges in Shandong, as well as rewards from Germany's colonies in the Pacific, such as the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands (except Guam).
The 1919 Congress of Versailles formally recognized Japan's newly acquired privileges and territories, but when Japan proposed to include an amendment on "racial equality" in the League of Nations Covenant, the Entente rejected it – and the Japanese were outraged – and the United States' immigration act of 1924 not only limited the number of Japanese immigrants, but also compared Japan with other "inferior nations."
The resentment that the Japanese had accumulated for decades began to convince them of ultra-nationalist claims:
The United States and United Kingdom secretly allied against Japan, and other Western powers were involved to varying degrees. They have been plotting to damage Japan's commercial interests in China and intend to regain control of some of the Chinese territories that Japan has acquired.
There is a point of view, which is embraced and recognized by more and more Japanese: United States is a greedy, treacherous and vicious country, and that the freedom, democracy and national self-determination preached by the United States are all a pretense, and in fact the United States will spare no effort to suppress and plunder all Asian countries.
United States conspired at every stage of the rise of the Japan to curb the ambitions of the Japan and tried to steal the military achievements of the Japan by vicious means, and they made small moves behind the scenes to dismantle the Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902 and prevent the development of the Japan Navy through diplomatic means of arms limitation.
The most irritating nerve of Japan's ultra-nationalists, and the best example of their argument, is the Washington Naval Treaty.
"Shameful Treaty"
From 1905 to 1914, a fierce and frantic battleship race between the British Empire and the Second German Empire not only became the focus of mutual suspicion, but also intensified, culminating in World War I.
Recognizing this, in 1921, a few years after the end of World War I, the victorious powers held the Washington Conference, which aimed to impose restrictions on the construction of future battleships. In fact, this was also the consensus of the Western powers after World War I, and all countries unanimously agreed that there should be no more naval arms race among the great powers that cost people and money.
In the 1922 treaty, there was a limit on the size and number of battleships that could be possessed by the navies of the signatory states: the 5:5:3 formula, which we all know.
On the surface, Japan is allowed to have only 60% of the number of battleships in the United Kingdom and the United States, but the United States and the United Kingdom need to take care of both the Atlantic Ocean, while the Japan only deploy fleets in the Pacific Ocean – in fact, both Britain and the United States have agreed not to increase the number of new warships in the Pacific, while also acquiescing to Japan dominance of the Western Pacific.
Before 1930, the vast majority of Japan's elite politicians—including Emperor Hirohito, the imperial retinue, civilian ministers, and most of the senior admirals—supported the treaty, believing it could limit the potential of the Western powers' advanced industrial and shipbuilding industries.
Even some senior generals of the Japan Army believe that this will buy time and slowly build up Japan's strength. While the naval power is being strengthened, the focus can also be on other types of warships that are not restricted by the Entente, such as aircraft carriers and submarines.
And most importantly, Japan, which is still at the bottom of the overall strength, can finally get rid of the heavy burden of participating in the arms race - before the advent of nuclear weapons, the construction of warships has always been one of the most expensive projects in the budgets of countries - and Japan will be no exception.
Japan's navy spending had risen to about 31 percent of Japan's budget in 1921, and the disarmament agreement reduced naval spending to 21 percent of the budget in 1923. In fact, before the signing of the naval treaty, Japan's finances were already on the verge of bankruptcy, and the signing of the treaty really made the Japanese government breathe a big sigh of relief.
But the treaty greatly angered hardliners who did not care about the economy, and dealt a blow to shipbuilding, which has historically been Japan's largest and most advanced industrial industry.
Before the treaty, the navy had been one of Japan's most promising professions, and now suddenly that road was cut off. Not only that, but the plan of the "8-8 Fleet", which is most cherished by the Japan Navy, was also forced to be cut in half; The brand-new 40,000-ton battleship "Tosa" was only halfway through construction when it was towed to Kure Harbor by more than a dozen tugboats as a target ship for live firing.
All shipbuilding centers in Japan have been hit hard, and the sharp drop in naval orders and the decline in the number of private orders have led to the closure of many shipyards, and countless workers have been laid off, and the number of dismissed workers has reached 2/3 of the number of employees!
Another direct consequence of Westernization is the explosive population growth that has exacerbated the chaos in Japan's society, and by the mid-20s, the population of Japan's four major islands had exceeded 80 million, and it was still increasing at a rate of 1 million per year, and Japan's national economy could no longer withstand such demographic pressure.
The big businessmen who have money won't feel the impact of the recession, but millions of people at the bottom of the social ladder are struggling to survive in terrible predicament.
Workers are losing their jobs in batches and wandering the streets. By 1926, there were more than 3 million unemployed industrial workers. And many more have lost their life savings in the wave of bank failures that followed the Great Kanto Earthquake three years ago. Left-wing parties and trade union organizations emerged.
Large numbers of rural people who had gone to the cities to work returned to their hometowns, only to find that the situation in the countryside was even worse. With the support of government policies, large quantities of cheap rice imported from Taiwan and North Korea have flooded the market, and domestically grown rice is not profitable.
However, the price of agricultural inputs is soaring, and a series of natural disasters have also severely reduced crop yields. In the past, the wives and daughters of those farmers had been working in silk factories to support their families and make ends meet. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, Japan's raw silk exports plummeted, and silk mills closed down. Peasant families have been plunged into abject poverty, large numbers of farmers depend on tree bark and grass roots for their livelihood, and thousands have died of malnutrition, influenza and tuberculosis.
In both urban and rural areas, the extreme scarcity of supplies led to demonstrations and protests by peasants and workers. For the first time, Japan was on the verge of a nationwide riot.
Both on the left and on the right, they agree on the idea that Japan must immediately undergo radical and drastic reforms.
Radical nationalists officially took the stage.
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