A Study On Yokohama Incident

Yokohama incident is a typical case which shows that the Japanese government has pursued a policy of national unity and strict control over public opinions during the wartime. It was the inevitable consequence after Japan was ruled by militarists and fascistMeiji Restoration marks the beginning of Japan onto the road to modern capitalism and modernization. Taking German political institution as prototype, Japanese authorities established the Meiji constitutional system, which possesses both conservative and progressive feature. Meiji Constitution as Asia's first constitutional monarchy of the bourgeois constitution was progressive at that time. But due to its serious deficiency, it caused modern Japan to embark on the Crossroads of Militarism. Under the banner of Monarch Sovereignty and independence of commandment right, The Army forces launched a series of coups to undermine the basis of party strength, and ultimately attained the establishment of a militaristic regime instead of party politics.After the Mukden Incident in 1931, Japan entered a state of war. A total war system required that all domestic fields should serve the war. The Taisei Yokusan Kai (Imperial Rule Assistance Association) was the sign of establishment of wartime political control. In the wartime system, the country was woven into a strong network that all the subjects were forced under "absolute obedience". The monitoring activities on its subjects were everywhere.While the Army headquarter was strengthening its own force, the repression on domestic democratic forces were escalating. After several years of repression, the left-wing and the democratic forces in Japan had withered. Democratic ideology, communist ideology and the anti-war ideology had undergone severely restraint. The struggle of anti-system stalled. With the introduction of the Southward strategy, the Japan-US relations and the like were gradually deteriorating. The Japanese government worried that the various ideas, especially the communist ideology would be revived. Meanwhile, in order to maintain national unity and to further strengthen the control over society, the Japanese government embarked upon a new round of suppression on so-called dangerous ideas and activists again at the end of 1941. It was in that background this incident took place in Yokohama.Yokohama Incident was in fact composed of a series event that so-called Communist suspects were prosecuted and arrested. After the arrestment of so-called Communist or left-wing activists, the police tried to connect the speeches and activities of suspects to communism or espionage action by every possible means. The police even forced them to admit their "crimes" by torture. These weak, isolated civilians, facing the powerful state apparatus, could not protect themselves from persecution. They suffered physical and mental pains by the brutal torture, and even the tragic death of four persons in prison. Therefore, studying the Yokohama incident can reveal the appalling abuse of power and disregard for human rights by Japanese imperial government in wartime.