The roots of Japanese militarism
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Authors
Hendrix, Henry J.
Subjects
Japan
Shinto
Institutions
Factions
Hierarchy
Culture
Militarism
Shinto
Institutions
Factions
Hierarchy
Culture
Militarism
Advisors
Buss, Claude A.
Date of Issue
1994-12
Date
December 1994
Publisher
Monterey, California : Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Militarism in pre-World War Two Japan was a product of Japan's culture, manifested within its distinctive internal domestic institutions, stimulated by the encroaching external pressures, and is distinct from militarism anywhere else in the world. The culture of Japan emphasized the group over the individual, a strong sense of hierarchy, and a profound pride in the divine nature of the national essence. The abrupt intrusion of the technologically advanced Western civilization triggered an "insider-outsider" mentality within Japan that rejected participation in the Western diplomatic, and economic cabals which denied Japan its true equal (or, to some, superior) position in the community of nations. Japan's pre-war militarism clearly can be defined as the mobilization of the entire society, drawing upon an essentially homogeneous outlook, to achieve a position within the international system which reflected the cultural perception of Japan's "chosen" status (derived from centuries of Shinto influence) within the family of man. The martial segments within Japanese society used the "alien" international system, largely defined at the time in Imperial colonial military terms, to buttress the martial segments within Japanese society and to justify the expansion of their influence.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xiii, 127 p. ;|c28 cm.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.