Episode 542 – The Heart of Darkness

August 16, 2024

For our second footnote to the Revised Introduction to Japanese History: a simple question that definitely won’t result in an overpacked episode. Was Imperial Japan a fascist state? How can we even define fascism in a productive way that lets us engage in historical comparison? How quickly can I summarize four different definitions of what fascism is? Should be easy enough.

Sources

Passmore, Kevin. Fascism: A Very Short Introduction

Eco, Umberto. “Ur-Fascism” (no paywall!)

Marcon, Federico. “The Quest for Japanese Fascism: A Historical Overview” Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies: Religion and Thought 4, No 14 (2021)

Images

A gagaku performance at the celebrations of the 2600-year anniversary of the (supposed) enthronement of Japan’s first emperor. This certainly qualifies as a sort of mythic past that fits some definitions of fascism.
Pan-Asianist rhetoric in posters like this one (celebrating harmony between the “three races” of Han Chinese, Manchu, and Japanese) don’t fit many traditional understandings of fascism.
Another view of part of the 2600th anniversary celebrations in Tokyo.
Maruyama Masao, whose work is still very influential on discussions of Japanese fascism.