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Unlock This CourseIn the 1920s Japan moved towards party government: the prime minister came from the party with most seats in the elected parliament, the Diet, and ran a party cabinet. In 1925 all men over 25 had been given the vote. But the world Depression that began in 1929 hit Japan's farmers and factory workers hard. Many people blamed the party politicians, who seemed tied to big business and unable to help.
The army and navy were also unhappy. Officers disliked cuts to military spending, and many believed that Japan's problems could only be solved by strong leaders loyal to the emperor, not by squabbling politicians. This mood was the soil in which extremist ideas grew.
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Writers such as Kita Ikki argued that Japan needed a "Showa Restoration": the emperor's power should be restored, the wealthy zaibatsu businesses and party politicians swept aside, and the nation reorganised. Some officers read his work eagerly.
Secret societies grew up inside and outside the army. Young officers formed groups such as the Cherry Blossom Society, and a civilian band called the Blood Pledge Corps planned to murder leading figures. They saw themselves as loyal patriots rescuing Japan.
Violence began even before 1932. In November 1930 Prime Minister Hamaguchi was shot at Tokyo Station by a nationalist and was badly wounded. In 1931 army officers planned coups that failed, and they were not seriously punished.
In early 1932 the Blood Pledge Corps struck. Inoue Junnosuke, a former finance minister, was shot in February, and Dan Takuma, a senior figure at the Mitsui business group, in March. Both were symbols of the party-and-business world the plotters hated.
The key event came on 15 May 1932. A group of young naval officers, joined by some army cadets, attacked government buildings in Tokyo and shot Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, leader of the Seiyukai party. Inukai had tried to hold back the army and its actions in China (see the lesson on Manchukuo and the League of Nations).
The murderers were put on trial, but many Japanese people sent letters and petitions supporting them as sincere patriots, and the sentences were light. The message was that violence paid. The army also said it would not accept another party cabinet.
Instead of choosing a party leader, the elder statesmen advising the emperor picked Admiral Saito Makoto as prime minister, heading a "national unity" cabinet with ministers from both the parties and the services. Admiral Okada Keisuke followed him in 1934. Party government, which had begun in 1918, was over. The parties still sat in the Diet, but they no longer chose the prime minister.
The extremists struck again. In the early hours of 26 February 1936, about 1,500 soldiers led by young army officers occupied key buildings in central Tokyo in heavy snow. These officers were from the Imperial Way faction, who wanted a "Showa Restoration" led by the emperor. Their men killed several leaders, including Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo and Saito Makoto, who had been prime minister. Prime Minister Okada escaped when the attackers mistakenly shot his brother-in-law.
This time it failed. Emperor Hirohito was angry and treated the officers as rebels, not patriots. The navy and the senior army leadership turned against them, and the rebels gave up after four days. Their ringleaders were tried in secret and executed, and so was Kita Ikki, whose ideas had inspired them.
But the army still gained. Fear of another coup made politicians nervous of opposing the military. The more cautious Control faction of senior officers now led the army. In 1936 it was agreed again that the army and navy ministers must be serving officers, which let the services bring down any cabinet by refusing to supply a minister. Government spending on arms rose.
Change: In 1925 elected parties led the government and a wider electorate could vote. By 1936 the prime minister was a non-party figure, officers used murder and threats to shape politics, and the armed forces held the strongest voice in the cabinet.
Continuity: The Meiji Constitution stayed in force, the emperor stayed the head of state, and the Diet kept meeting. This was a military-dominated system, not a formal dictatorship under one general.
Explain TWO causes of the end of party government in Japan in 1932. [8 marks]
Remember: one cause alone cannot score more than half marks.
One cause was the damage done by the Depression. After 1929 many farmers and workers suffered badly, and many Japanese people blamed the party cabinets, which seemed close to big business like the zaibatsu and unable to help. This weakened trust in elected politicians, so when party leaders were attacked, many people had little sympathy and few defended the system.
A second cause was the activity of nationalist societies and the plots of young officers. Groups such as the Blood Pledge Corps murdered Inoue Junnosuke and Dan Takuma early in 1932, and on 15 May 1932 naval officers shot Prime Minister Inukai. The killers received light sentences, and the army said it would accept no more party cabinets. As a result, Admiral Saito Makoto became prime minister in place of a party leader.
What lifts this to the top level: each cause is supported by precise knowledge and ends by showing how it led to the end of party government.
For "Explain TWO causes", write two separate paragraphs. In each, name the cause, add precise facts such as names and dates, and finish with a sentence linking it to the outcome in the question.