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Liberal Japan (Political change (Mild liberalisation (The decrease in the…
Liberal Japan
Political change
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Elitist oligarchy
Change to democracy
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Japan's democratic reforms remained fragile. The political parties had failed to build up mass support
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Status quo unchallenged
No freedom of speech (independent judiciary)(rampant corruption, even within the Civil government)
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No checks and balances of power (the Emperor was not accountable to anyone)(all power flowed down from the Emperor)
Mild liberalisation
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The decrease in the influence of the military was short-term and only lasted till before the Great Depression (confirmed that liberal Western values and Japan’s attempt to cooperate with the West failed)(blamed the situation on the over-reliance on the West)
Weak leadership and influence allowed a military taking-over (House of Representatives had limited power)(handed popular support over to the military)
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Japanese society remained very conservative (suspicious of the move to embrace democracy, and collaboration with the West)
Political and social changes were only superficial and would not be able to withstand the impact of the international crises which took place from the end of the 1920s.
Emergence of socialism and communism (led to a degree of uncertainty regarding which direction Japan should be heading in and concerns the stability of Japan’s social order)
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The tumult of the twenties alarmed many bureaucrats and members of the mainstream parties, who sought ways to restrain the more extreme forms of radicalism that seemed at times to threaten the very existence of the state'
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Foreign policy
Japan was attracted to an expansionist policy under the leadership of a weak government that failed to rally the Japanese people together. Militaristic sentiments influenced Japanese society in the late 1920s as it stoked patriotism in the Japanese. This came into conflict with Japan's adoption of a liberal foreign policy to gain credibility with the West
e.g Japan's 21 demands which were submitted to Yuan Shikai's Chinese government. Some of the controversial policies included Japan demanding the Chinese to accept advisors and the formation of a Japan-China police force.
The rise of the Japanese military due to its organisation, as well as the nationalistic institutions staying in place despite the 'liberal' policies adopted by the Diet shaped the foreign policy of Japan following the end of the Taisho era. The inability of the Civilian Government to control the military also created a military-oriented foreign policy (e.g The army was able to dismiss political cabinets, like the Katsura cabinet which only lasted for 53 days)
The Japanese education system also encouraged nationalistic sentiments. The cult-like worship of the Emperor as a divine figure made the Japanese people feel Japan had an obligation to control the Asian continent under a Japanese empire. This would bring long-term effect later on, especially during the transition of the Taisho era to the Showa era.
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Japan attempted to participate in amicable relations with the West through Foreign Minister Shidehara's policy of international co-operation before the 1929 Great Depression led to a foreign policy based on expansionism and imperialism under the guise of the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' to gather raw materials, land and satellite states for the Japanese government
e.g Japan joined the League of Nations following the 1918 Treaty of Versailles. It was one of the 4 permanent members of the League Council. However, following the 1931 Manchurian Crisis where the 1932 Lytton Report was critical of the Japanese government's actions, they left the LON to embark on their own conquest with the Axis powers
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Due to the rise in the population in Japan, they looked to expand into other countries to look for raw materials, in order to support their country
Social/Economic Changes
Social
Kato Ministry 1924-26
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Decreased Peers from nobility, increased imperial appointees
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Liberalization towards the Western culture and trends - influence from Matthew Perry and the Western powers influence
Western Fashion trends were picked up, causing a degree of outrage among the traditional Japanese folk who claimed that their culture was "decaying"
first-wave FEMINISM - women demanded for more rights, and this also spurred counter-feminist organisation who sought to maintain the status quo gener roles
There was an increased political activism and involvement given the rise of mass media and spread of ideologies like communism and socialism.
zaibatsu
corruption in political realm, bribery
do not want trade unions: too much power to the working class who demanded proper wages and better working conditions, which would mean less profits for them
reinforced oligarchial structure: maintain power hierarchy in the government [those oligarchies were in favour of the Zaibatsu
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Economic
Zaibatsu
Fear of communism pushed them to support the Keito/Seyukai. Even when Seyukai was run over by the right-winged military, the Zaibatsu continued to supported them to prevent the communist party to come in.
Imperialistic capitalism - they wanted to expand their market, and therefore supported the imperialistic policies of the military because it meant gaining access to more markets
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Japan's political stability was overly dependent on the successful economic stability, which was also based on the international market [out of their control]
By trying to tie in both the Western and domestic demands, it lead to a dicotomy of how foreign policies should be
Industrialization = more population = more mouths & larger workforce --> the land could not sustain this population growth, which leads reliance of imports [ties back to dependency of international market success
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