Evening star., 1933-09-24
1BACK TO ASIA" MOVEMENT
GAINS GROUND in JAPAN
Wide Popular Support to Oriental
''Fascism" Revealed in Recent
Inukai Case.

have been suicide, and the least tnat
convention demanded Of him was his
resignation from office and the military
service He defied convention and
opinion and stayed on; but the
"Fascist" revolution went into suspense
and Prince Saionji, the liberal Genro,
last veteran of the restoration cam
paign of the Cos, was able to put in
the compromise, non-party Saito cab
met, which is with us yet. without
actually abolishing the party system.
From that time until July Of this
wear the assassinations and bombings
were under quiet but thorough govern
ment examination. The responsibility
for the whole Fascist" orgy was def
initely fixed upon several reactionary
societies and through them. upon the
military clique for which it Is generally
assumed that Gen. Araki speaks. He
certainly speaks their language.
Founded by Buddhist Priest.
The Blood Brotherhood League was
founded by Buddhist priest named
Nissho Inouye, who got weapons for his
assassins from a naval officer who was
killed at Shanghai in February, 1882.
The core of this groups doctrine was
japanese hegemony over all Asia and
the expulsion of all whites. with their
institutions from the Far East.
The agent of this group who killed
the Seiyukai minister Of finance said
that he was working for 1.-The establish
ment of japanese supremacy over the
entire world" Other lesser objects
were the exclusion of all foreign i'm
ports from Japan as 'corrupting" in
fuences and the eXtirpation OF states
men, bankers and industrialistS. In
connection with their study Of this
body. the governments agents had in
terrupted prayer meeting" Of So
ciety known as Gods Soldiers of Japan
and had found them in the act of
distributing weapons to sworn killers.
These bright boys were for japanese
control of Chinese finances and foreign
affairs for the complete disarmament
and demilitarization of China and,
finally. for a revolution at home that
would restore "the imperial way 1t
is worth noting that this is the phrase
which Gen. Araki now uses to describe
the objective of constitutional reform.
1t is the correct japanese term for
japanese "Fascism."
Sorry for Anxiety to Emperor.
When the young firebrands who had
perpetrated major political crimes un-
der such inspiration recently came to
trial. they came to the stand with the
assurance of Communists schoo!ed in
turning crime into martyrdom, and
martyrdom to the best account of the
cause. They opened their testimony
by expressing regret for the anxiety
caused to his majesty the Emperor
and for nothing else. For the rest they
we're only sorry that the trouble they
had started had not had bigger re-
suits. In what directions? asked their
interlocutors, the prosecutors. In the
directions of relief to agriculture, dis
cipline in Korea and China. the expul-
sion of the whites from Asia, the re-
pudiation of the London naval treaty
and the downfall of all Occidental in
stitutions in Japan. including indus
trialisnl, capitalism and the party sys-
TEN.
BY the time enough Of this had been
served to the japanese public in big
and highly seasoned daily doses the
criminals were the prosecuted pro-
phets of a revived and fully justified
national faith. and nothing absurd
enough to make the nation laugh could
come from the courtroom.
When one witness testified that he
wanted to kill Charlie Chaplin while
he was in Japan. because he was 1.-The
darling of the American capitalists
and because his death would bring on
war with the United States, the Judge
grinned and the sophisticated court
room Uttered: but the nation gasped in
solemn admiration of the depth ano
devotion of the idea. And that is the
kind OF sentiment that Gen. Araki is
oy,if fo1 n y c
constitutionalism.
Thrown Up From Soil.
Let us not fool ourselves. however
Don't let us think that this big hysteri-
cal surge comes out of nothing deeper
or flrmer than the carefully schooleo
and adroitly publicized dramatics of a
group of misguided young gangsters
1t is thrown up from Japan's soil by
troubles as inherent in that beautiful
land as earthquakes and volcanoes
Agricultural bankruptcy and radical
self-esteem are two major forces out oi
a dozen that have only to be given a
vent to produce an eruption.
The idea of racial superiority IS q
firmer foundation for japanese "Fas.
cism' than it Is for any European
brand of nationalism. Mussolini has
to drain lakes and recover imperial
barges, or tear down half Rome to re-
veal the splintered fangs of the wolf
to impress upon the Italians theil
hereditary title to grandeur. Hitler has
to fake Wagnerian Teuton pedigree
for his round-headed. semi-Slavit
burghers to persuade them they are
naturally entitled to the swagger of the
| Waelsungs.
The preacher of race superiority ha!
no doubts to combat in Japan. Wher
ne cites "the divine descent of the
Japanese" or their "Heaven-appointec
| fest destiny" he is telling them moth.
ing new or unusual. So he does no.
have to go far to persuade them thai
when they were induced to copy West
ern manners with the idea of improv.
| ing their style they were miSled. ane
| that if they are true to the old tradi'
tions they will again walk and prosper
in the way of the gods"
Militarism Always Honorable.
Militarism, upon which Western Fas
cism relies as the medium through
which social RECOMMENDATION is to b.
achieved, needs no .reintroduction tt
Japan It has never been anything
but honorable there. Knighthood wa
still in full flower in Japan when man.
of the readers of this article wer'
young people. No attempt has eve
been made to discredit its code
Bushido, the Soldiers Way-but ever.
effort has been made to extend it from
the Samurai, the knightly caste, to tn
peasant conscript. For this the latte
is so grateful that he can find no ade
quate expression for his feelings bu
the devotion of his life to the code.
Japan does not have to turn to Ger
many or Italy to learn to detest in
dustrial capitalism. Busy as Japan
beehive factories are, and dependen
as her economy has become upon eX
ports of muck and truck" this Ian
of stony mountains and narrow val
leys is still an agricultural country
It's farmlands have long been desper
ately overcrowded by small tenants an
drifting labor. Now the depression ha
thrown back upon them millions c
| les, rn1i