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Study On Yoshida Shigern's Political Ideology

Posted on:2006-03-16Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y ZhengFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116360155954618Subject:Political Theory
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After the WWII, the United Stated of America took the military occupation exclusively on Japan, who was defeated in the WWII. In accordance with some treaties as "Potsdam Proclamation"made by the Allies during the War, the USA carried out non-militarized and democratized reform in Japanese society. The whole political system in Japan experienced a qualitative change. Some scholar commented, "The defeat in the WWII has brought Japan a great and unexpected change, which can be compared only by the Meiji Restoration."There emerged a second transition in Japanese society ever since the Meiji Restoration. The framework and development course of the postwar Japanese society were established in this special historical period. Marx once pointed out, "Man made the creation not at his own will, not under his selected condition but under the encountered, predetermined and inherited condition."As a postwar conservative political leader, Yoshida Shigern formed the cabinet for the first time and became the Prime Minister from May 22, 1946 to May 1947. From October 1948 to December 1954, with the aid of USA Occupying Authorities, he had formed cabinet 4 times, which was called "Yoshida Age". The so-called "Yoshidaism"which was characterized with traditional conservative ideology, fully exploited the vast socio-political resources through the control of political power. His own political ideology became the main social ideological stream. Classic writers once pointed out, "Political ideology of any age is merely the ideology of the ruling class."The Japanese society from postwar to modern period was in a special phenomenon in which it was characterized with integration of national homogeneity and social culture, with regarding political ideas and value of the political figure as isms. The so-called "Yoshitoism"could be regarded as the special form of traditional conservative ideology in the postwar Japanese politics as well as an heir of the conservative whose ideology was the National Quintessence-ism and Japan-ism of Meiji Age. In the meanwhile, his occupational experience as a diplomatic official made him form a "Consciousness of Japanese Empire"which was in conformity with main ideological stream of that age. He emphasized the coordination and alliance with western capitalist countries such as the USA and the UK, and positively adopted rigorous diplomatic policy toward China to expand the advantage of Japan in China. Such utilitarianism, which was in pursuit of gaining profit in alliance with strong powers, possessed continuity and succession in Japanese postwar political ideology. In Yoshito Mao's political ideology, the ideas as anti-communism, anti-Soviet Union, establishment of western democratic politics, worship of the imperial and national deity were typical in the postwar Japanese society. He openly proclaimed, "The Communist Party is a destructive clan."He always attempted to announce the Communist Party as the illegal organization through Parliament legislation. In reconstruction of Japan, he advocated imperial-centeredness and claimed, "In accordance with the historical perspective and spirit tradition from time immemorial in our nation, the imperia household has been the primogenitor and suzerain of Japanese nationality. It is not the theory, but the fact and tradition. The worship of the imperial is the ethnic human relations. It has been the foundation of the social order from time immemorial. Hence, our democracy must base on such concept and spirit."Such ideology of worshipping the imperial households was embodied on his treatment in drawing up the new Constitution. What he concerned more was the position of Mikado instead of liberalism and democracy that the Constitution itself brought about. This reflected that the Japanese traditional conservative political ideas with Yoshito as a representative were short of political liberalism ideology.However, compared with imperial historical perspective which was the main stream of the Japanese society before the War, the historical perspective of Yoshito Mao inherited the imperial ideology, but there were no longer aggression and expansion in his political ideas. He denied the Pacific War his military troops had launched and avoided injustice of the war that the Japanese Imperialist had launched to the Asian, especially East Asian Countries. As for the problem of national deity innovation, Yoshito Mao was strongly against it. He disapproved of the Political-Religious-Separatism Policy of USA Occupying Authorities, proclaimed that deity had nothing to do with militarism and nationalism. He held in high esteem the deity supremacist principle which was popular before the War and took the lead in paying homage to Yasukuni Jinjia. The historical and deity perspective of Neo-Conservative thoughts in modern Japanese Society is apparently inherited in ideology from imperial historical and national deity perspective of Yoshito Mao after the War. The traditional conservative ideas in Yoshito Mao's political ideology were embodied in that political party area was the basis of the Japanese postwar conservative politics. "Yoshito School"was his political means of intra-party reformation and conservative coalition was his political strategy in reforming the parties conservative in nature. "Yoshito School"refers to manifold followers and subordinates of his politics. It can also be comprehended as the liberalization of administrative bureaucrat and bureaucratization of Liberal Party member. Partisanship is the major feature of Yoshito Politics, which directly influences the internal operational mechanism of postwar Liberal-democratic Party, which led to the 55-year domination by the Liberal-democratic Party after the mechanism was established. He proposed, "We must realize combination for sake of Japan. For realizing peace, we hope a unified conservative party to be responsible. For the project of vital and lasting importance of the nation, we hope a mechanismto bear all the desert."This mechanism is the combination of the Conservative Political Party formed in Yoshito Age, realizing 55-year conservative mechanism. Japanese scholar Uqita Kinsan thought, "The postwar Japanese conservative politics began with Yoshito Mao and Hatoyama Iqilo in 1945—1955, experienced three-term cabinets of Kishi Matoto, Ikaita Yogin and Sato Aiza, thus formed solid conservative politics."In the meanwhile, as the leader of the occupied nation, Yoshito Mao carried out utilitarianism and pragmatism diplomatic policy towards the USA. He treat the international issues with merchandized international political perspective, seeking protection from USA. Diplomacy is the extension of domestic affairs. In order to revive the domestic economy and establish conservative politics, the utilitarianism and pragmatism that Yoshida followed were both considered. Just as he confessed, "For nowadays Japan, rearming will cause a danger of the opposite effect. It goes beyond the ability of Japanese economy. However, we should have some self-defense forces in a certain degree. But if the forces we possess are more than the one of the certain degree, it will bring great burdens to our nation. In case it causes the domestic instability, it will give the opportunity to the communist power that can be exploited to their advantage. Therefore, as the Prime Minister of Japan, I have made great painstaking effort to advocate not to rearm temporarily. In fact, this international political view of Yoshito was a necessity of the inertia thought which was a national diplomatic strategy after Meiji Restoration. It was a traditional thinking pattern in diplomatic strategy of the modern Japan that she would be allied with other nations to gain profit. Whereas the object of alliance would be changeable in different periods, but the selective criterion was always the same—it would be the most powerful country in the world. Yoshida's international political view was a part of "Modern Diplomatic Policy"in 30s of 20 century . This traditional diplomacy still influences Japanese diplomatic trend. A Japanese expert on diplomatichistory point out, "After the War, the Prime Minister Yoshida determined two major national policies which were improving the international position and reviving and reconstructing as the first principle. Establishing a diplomatic policy closed to West-Europe, anti-communism and economist could be regarded as the diplomatic principle after the War , which has been confirmed by Japan's present conditions."Yoshida didn't avoid mentioning this and he insist the newcomers follow the traditional diplomatic doctrine . He said, "The Japanese essential diplomatic policy must be based on one principle that we should be closely connected with the UK and USA. This principle will and should not be changed in the future. Thus, it is not simply the temporary inertial after the War, but to follow the correct line on Japanese diplomacy since Meiji Restoration. Just based on this diplomatic idea, Yoshito proposed the anti-rearmed theory, Japan-American Defense theory, Solely negotiating Peace theory and Japan-American alliance theory. All these determined a series of international political ideas and diplomatic practice of Japanese diplomatic strategy after the War. The political thought of a society just as its traditional politics has the internal features of heritage and continuity. Since the 1980s, in the cross section point of view, there has been a new conservatism in the Japanese society, which was represented by Reagonism and Thatcherism in Euro-American countries after the disassociation of the Cold War and also the reflection on the domestic political section in Japan. In historic vertical point of view, it was also the inheritance and correction of the traditional conservatism who representative was Yoshito Mao in Japanese society after the War, which was represented by the amendment of constitution , revision of the Japanese history , and the political idea of becoming a political power .New conservatism and traditional conservatism...
Keywords/Search Tags:Yoshida Shigern, political ideology, conservatism
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