Japan's Military National Education (1868-1945)

This thesis discusses the derivation and development of the Japanese national policies, Nationalism, Militarism and Fascism, from 1868 to 1945. According to this, this thesis inquires emphatically into the contents and characteristics of Militarism in the Japanese National Education at different historical periods, then reveals the relationship between The Prewar Citizen Education in Japan and The Modern Tenno System.The initial stage of Nationalism of The Meiji Period was endowed with "The Powerful-Nation Doctrine". On the one hand, it promoted the Modernization of Japan; on the other hand, it was also the soil of The Tenno Doctrine and The Militarism. In the course of the establishment of modern nation, the government and the nongovernment took advantage of The Nature of "Legitimacy and Theosophy" of The Nippo Tenno to a great extent. That is, the establishment of The Tenno System Nation became the premise for the nation independence and the realization of The "Nation-Enriching and Military-Strengthening" Policy, and Nationalism was the marrow of The Tenno System Nation ideology. Experienced The Sino-Japanese War and The Russo-Japanese War, Nationalism more outstandingly expressed out the characteristics of "The Quintessence of a Country" Doctrine and The Exclusivism, and turned to The Extreme Nationalism.The Big Japanese Constitution promulgated in 1889 and The Education Imperial Orders issued next year symbolized the establishment of The Modern Tenno System Nation. Later, The National Education Policy emphasized "The Common People under The Nippo Tenno" idea. The Education Imperial Orders combined The Nationalism Thought with The Reactionary Confucianism Morals thoroughly, and it formed "The Origin of Education" belief that the common people should hold firmly to, explained the reason why "The Common People under The Nippo Tenno are The Common People under The Nippo Tenno". Merged The Feudal Confucianism, The Modern Constitutionalism and The Militarism of The Tenno System, it emphasized the development of the idea of "Loyalty to The Nippo Tenno Means Loyalty to The Nation". The Big Japanese Constitution and The Education Imperial Orders stipulated the whole Japanese values, and requested they must self-sacrifice to the public benefits for fulfilling national obligations. As for education, the common people moulded from it must obey The National Will without preconditions, and must dedicate themselves to The Tenno System Nation. The "Devoting The Endless Tenno Fate" was the moral root of citizen or the basic citizen personality, so the duty of citizen endowed by Modernization also naturally revolved round this basic. In other words, just because "The Constitution" and "The Imperial Orders" made clear that The Nippo Tenno was the representative of national sovereignty, so all the national moral norm required the nation also was due to the belief in The NippoTenno, and this was just the soul of The Japanese National Education under The Militarism System.After entering The Imperialistic Times, Nationalism melted in The "Nation System Manifestation" Movement, and became the extremely nationalistic thoughts served directly The War System. Based on it, the reaction in The National Education under The Militarism System was deepened constantly through education system, textbook contents, and the common people education method etc.After World War I, The National Education under The Militarism System entered the mature period. "The Suggestion of Soldier Gymnastics" issued by The Stopgap Education Conference in 1917 put forward The "Strengthening Militarism Education Overall" Scheme in accordance with the changing situation home and abroad. Later, Japan advocated "Manifesting The Original Meaning of The National System" in The Imperial Orders of Invigorating The Citizen Spirits', and propagated The Militarism Education to the common people through The "Instruction Mobilization of Invigorating The Citizen Spirits" Movement in order to boycott Liberalism and Socialistic Thought. The 1920s was the intensific...