The Spiritual History of Wartime Japan

Spiritual History of Japan during the War Period

From the September 18th Incident of 1931 to the end of World War II in 1945, Japan, under the guise of "kokutai," enveloped the entire Japanese Empire, including its colonies, in a strong national ideology. This led to an extreme fanaticism for war, the emperor, and the nation, further deepening its Greater Asianism and ideologies of "suicide with honor." By examining the Japanese people's closed-door character and inferiority complex, the intellectual development of intellectuals, the coercive power of the state, and the relationship between the state and its people, Tsurumi Shunsuke brilliantly analyzes how Japan transformed from a prosperous, intellectually liberal, and open nation during the Meiji era to a conservative, narrow-minded, and fascist aggressor. He further explains why the struggle, reflection, and resistance of Japanese intellectuals against nationalism ultimately failed, and how, under pressure, they succumbed to and became accomplices of militarism. Ultimately, when the nation launched war, they promoted and justified militarism and supranationalism, leading Japan to its demise with honor.

2019-09-01

北京日报出版社

Ideal Country

240

9787547734568