The was an ideological

manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

issued by the Ministry of Education of Japan during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

aimed at Japan's domestic audience to explain in clear terms what was expected of them "as a people, nation and race".

Origins

During the summer of 1941,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Fumimaro Konoe Prince was a Japanese politician and prime minister. During his tenure, he presided over the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and the breakdown in relations with the United States, which ultimately culminated in Japan's entry into World W ...

ordered the Minister of Education of Japan to compose a "Bible of the Japanese People", under the title of ''Shinmin no michi'', which was also sometimes called ''Hito-do'' (Subject's Way), or ''Shinja-do'' (The Way of the Follower). The first edition of 30,000 was issued in August 1941 and distributed to all schools in Japan. The ''Shinmin no michi'' offered three chapters which required only a few minutes of reading, explaining how subjects of the Emperor were to behave. It also presented a brief overview of world history from the Japanese viewpoint in the first third of the first chapter.

Themes

One of the main theme of the book dwelled on the direct descent of Emperor Shōwa from the goddess

Amaterasu Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...

and the religious characterization of the Kokutai which was identified as a "theocracy" in which "The way of subjects of the Emperor issues from polity of the Emperor, and is to guard and maintain the Imperial Throne coexistent with the Heavens and the Earth." Emperor Shōwa and his war ('' seisen'') were described as "holy". The virtues he embodied were unique and immutable.John Dower, ''Embracing Defeat'', 1999, p.277

"The Imperial Family is the fountain source of Japanese nation, and national and private life issue from this. The way of the subject is to be loyal to the Emperor in disregard of self, thereby supporting the Imperial Throne coexistensive with the Heavens and the Earth."

Filial piety and loyalty were the supreme virtues of the subjects of the imperial state and the book denounced the "individualism",

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

utilitarianism In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charact ...

and

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

that imperiled those virtues.

"the country was contaminated by perverted thinking and our sacred duty is to clean this and to return to the virtuous customs of our ancestors. It is by working with harmony and cooperation and making manifest our national dignity that the Heavenly Spirits of our Ancestors should be obeyed in a dutiful manner, which, by working in harmony with others, is for the greater glory of the Throne".

The ''Shinmin no michi'' also argued that the Allied powers had bent on world domination for centuries, and had been quite successful as evidenced by the fact that only a few thousand Europeans now ruled over 450 million Asians. The western values system, based on greed and self-indulgence, was seen as to blame for countless bloody

wars of aggression A war of aggression, sometimes also war of conquest, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense, usually for territorial gain and subjugation. Wars without international legality (i.e. not out of self-defense nor sanc ...

, and for the current world economic crisis. America was singled out for special criticism, with mention made of black

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and the mistreatment of minorities and immigrants. :"the entry of Western countries in all parts of whole world, including the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

, has given them international domination, and also led them to believe that they themselves possess the right to commit injurious acts against others". Regarding the "holy" war in China:

"Viewed from the standpoint of world history, the China Affair is a step toward the construction of a world of moral principles by Japan. The building up of a new order for securing lasting peace of the world will be attained by the disposal of the China Affair as a stepping stone." (...) The China Affair is a bold task for Japan to propagate the ideals of the Empire founding throughout East Asia and the world over (...) Japan is the fountain source of the Yamato race, Manchukuo its reservoir, and East Asia is its paddy field."

The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

were accused in the ''Shinmin no michi'' of impeding the establishment of a state of general peace between Japan and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The other sections refer to correct social and moral customs, some racial and eugenic ideas,

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

, martial doctrines and other aspects of local customs.

''Way of the Family''

The ''Shinmin no michi'' (''Way of Subjects'') was supplemented in 1942 by the ''Ie no michi'' (家の道 or formally, 家の道：文部省戦時家庭教育指導要項解説 ''Ie no michi:

Monbushō The was a former Japanese government ministry. Its headquarters were in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The Ministry of Education was created in 1871. It merged with the into the new Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (M ...

senji katei kyōiku shidō yōkō kaisetsu''), which elaborated on sections of the ''Kokutai no hongi'' (国体の本義 ''"Cardinal Principles of the National Entity"'') pertaining to traditional hierarchical familial relationships. Family harmony is maintained by having each member fulfill his/her proper function in the family structure, and likewise this principle applies also to the community as a whole, as well as to the State.

Notes

References

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