was a Japanese political activist who committed ''

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

'' with

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

in Tokyo. Morita was the youngest child of the headmaster of an elementary school. Losing both parents at the age of three, Morita was cared for by his brother Osamu and educated at a

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

. He entered

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

in 1966, but was dismayed by the presence of Communist

Zengakuren Zengakuren is a league of university student associations founded in 1948 in Japan. The word is an abridgement of which literally means "All-Japan Federation of Student Self-Government Associations." Notable for organizing protests and marches, ...

students at the University and became heavily involved in the small right-wing faction at the university. He first met Mishima on 19 June 1967, and joined the

Tatenokai The or Shield Society was a private militia in Japan dedicated to traditional Japanese values and veneration of the Emperor. It was founded and led by author Yukio Mishima. Background The Tatenokai was created on October 5, 1968, recruiting ...

at its establishment in October 1968. As early as March of that year, he had written a letter to Mishima expressing a willingness to die for him. Mishima was interested in using his society for direct political action, and he approached several members in April and May 1970. The inner circle then consisted of Mishima, Morita, and ("Chibi" Koga). No clear plan was developed until late June. Shortly afterwards, Mishima went on holiday to Shimoda and paid for the others to go to

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

. On 2 September in Tokyo, Morita and "Chibi Koga" recruited ("Furu" Koga), who was a Tatenokai member also, and he met Mishima to hear details of the plan on 9 September. Originally all four Tatenokai members had planned to commit seppuku along with Mishima. However, Mishima attempted to dissuade them and three of the members acquiesced to his wishes. Only Morita persisted, saying, "I can't let Mr. Mishima die alone." So, in November, Mishima ruled that only he and Morita were to die. Morita said to other members who had wanted to die together, "We are alive or dead together, because we can meet again somewhere." But Mishima knew that Morita had a girlfriend and still hoped he might live. On 21 and 22 November 1970, supplies were bought, and Morita asked Hiroyasu Koga to stand in for him if he should fail to behead Mishima properly. The next two days were spent rehearsing. On the morning of 25 November, the group drove to the

Japan Self-Defense Force The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

Ichigaya is an area in the eastern portion of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Places in Ichigaya *Hosei University Ichigaya Campus *Chuo University Graduate School * Ministry of Defense headquarters: Formerly GHQ of the Imperial Japanese Army; following W ...

garrison on the pretext of a friendly visit. They barricaded themselves inside General Mashita's office, taking him prisoner, and issued demands. At noon, Mishima began to make a speech from the balcony to assembled troops, but his words were drowned out by helicopters. Immediately after his return from the balcony, Mishima stabbed himself in the abdomen and Morita then attempted to behead him. After three failed attempts by Morita, Hiroyasu Koga stepped in and beheaded Mishima. According to the testimony of the surviving coup members, just before his seppuku, Mishima tried one more time to dissuade Morita, saying "Morita, you must live, not die." Nevertheless, after Mishima's seppuku, Morita knelt and stabbed himself in the abdomen and Koga again performed the kaishakunin duty. Masayoshi Koga, Masahiro Ogawa, and Hiroyasu Koga were freed from prison for good behavior in October 1974. All three were aged 26 at the time.

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