Evening star., 1945-05-19
False Fronts in Jupun

False Fronts in japan
Official announcement from Tokyo
that Premier Suzuki has dissolved
the Imperial Rule Assistance Asso-
citation is causing much speculation
on its meaning. In western eyes this
action may logically be interpreted
as a precursor to some peace move,
because the association was similar
in appearance and objectives to the
Fascist and Nazi parties in Italy and
Germany. Like them. it was a po-
litical monopoly, replacing the vari-
GUS political parties which had
grown up with the parliamentary
system in modern Japan. Its aim,
as avowed by its founder, Prince
Konoye, was to mobilize the Japa-
nese people for what Konoye de-
scribed as "the great march" to-
ward national destiny which was
shining as the sun and the stars"
in other words, that supreme stroke
for limitless expansion through con-
quest which. for centuries. has been
taught to be the eventual goal of
the "Yamato Race" under its "di-
vine" emperorS and the protective
inspiration of Nippon's protectress,
the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Omi-
kami. Under these circumstances
it looked to westerners as though
Japan was adopting the totalitarian
one-party pattern and theology of
its European Axis partners.
However, such interpretations over
looked the basic differences between
japanese theology and those of Fas-
cist Italy and Nazi Germany. Fas-
cism and Naziism we're both popu-
lar and revolutionary movements,
imposing themselves upon the ma
ton under the guidance of supreme
leaders who had risen from humble
origins and literally fought their
way to the top. Such a movement
would have violated the national
psychology of Japan, which recog-
nizes the God Emperor as the source
of all authority, who delegates power
to representatives that WELD it,
never singly. but as more or less
anonymous groups. The Imperial
Rule Assistance Association was, in
reality, designed primarily to do
away with the political structures
which had grown up in consequence
of an imported and denatured par
liamentarism, thereby forestalling
the possibility of any organized op-
position to the plans of the war lords.
In the second place, it was an instru-
ment for the better control and in
doctrination of the japanese masses.
But the association never had life
of it's own. being controlled strictly
by the real rulers of Japan who
moved behind the scenes. The last
thing they would have tolerated was
a genuinely popular movement and
leadership. In their eyes what was
wrong with the association was that
it did not function efficiently in
Japan's growing peril. So it is dis
solved. But it is slated to be replaced
by another organization called the
Political Association of Great Japan,
equally totalitarian and propagan-
dist in character, yet still more
closely identified with the militarist
and imperialist oligarchy. That is
revealed by its announced head, who
is none other than General Jiro
Minami, a shining light of the
Kwantung Army group and a vet
eran leader of jingo nationalism.
Thus, in itself. this party shift
indicates a further strengthening of
the war lords and Tightening of their
grip on the Japanese people for a
last-ditch fight, rather than a har-
binger of genuine peace moves. Such
moves may eventually come, under
the pressure of cumulative disasters.
But the present political maneuver
will have no direct bearing upon
them.