The was an ideological manifesto issued by the

Ministry of Education of Japan The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community ...

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 opposing ...

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 i ...

Fumimaro Konoe 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 Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

from the goddess Amaterasu and the religious characterization of the

Kokutai is a concept in the Japanese language translatable as " system of government", "sovereignty", "national identity, essence and character", "national polity; body politic; national entity; basis for the Emperor's sovereignty; Japanese constitu ...

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."

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 chara ...

and materialism 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, 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 territori ...

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 i ...

were accused in the ''Shinmin no michi'' of impeding the establishment of a state of general peace between Japan and China. The other sections refer to correct social and moral customs, some

racial A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

and

eugenic Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

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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External links