The , later known as the , was a nationalist youth organization in the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

modeled after

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

.Sims. Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation, 1868-2000, pp. 21

/ref>Abend. My Life in China 1926-1941. pp.274
/ref> It was active from 1937 until its dissolution in 1945.

History

The ''Dai-Nippon Seinento'' was a youth organization founded by ultranationalist activist Colonel Kingoro Hashimoto on October 17, 1937, following Hashimoto's temporary forced retirement from military service due to his involvement in the failed February 26 attempted coup d'etat against the government. Hashimoto modeled the organization after the

, even to the extent of using a light brown color for member’s uniforms, and the adoption of a red banner with a white circle in the center as the party banner. The first party rally was held on the grounds of

Meiji Shrine , is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto. History A ...

in downtown

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, with approximately 600 members. The stated aim of the party was to teach Japanese youth basic survival skills,

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...

, life skills, cultural lessons, traditions and basic weapons training. However, Hashimoto's primary intent was to create an idealistic young cadre of supporters for the Imperial Way Faction and its nationalist and militarist doctrines. During the third party rally, held in

Hibiya Park Hibiya Park (日比谷公園 ''Hibiya Kōen'') is a park in Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan. It covers an area of 161,636.66 m2 (40 acres) between the east gardens of the Imperial Palace to the north, the Shinbashi district to the southeast and the K ...

, Tokyo with some 2000 members in November 1939, Hashimoto expressed his support for the upcoming

Tripartite Alliance The Tripartite Alliance is an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). The ANC holds a majority in the South African parliament, while ...

with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and for a one-party system of government in Japan. He also set the ambitious goal of growing party membership to 100,000 members by the end of 1940. However, with increased military conscription due to the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

and subsequently with the Pacific War, most of his target age group was being drafted into the Japanese military, and the party fell far short of its goals. Although not specifically a “

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

” per se, the Great Japan Youth Party fell under the overall aegis of the

Imperial Rule Assistance Association The , or Imperial Aid Association, was the Empire of Japan's ruling organization during much of World War II. It was created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 12 October 1940, to promote the goals of his ("New Order") movement. It evolved i ...

organized by

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 from October 1940. Unable to achieve his goals in Japan, and sidelined by actions of the government, Hashimoto returned to Manchukuo in late 1940, where he attempted to create another local youth organization similar to the Great Japan Youth Party among the Japanese settler population, with an equal lack of success. By the end of

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 ...

, the Great Japan Youth Party had devolved into little more than a defunct youth wing of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, and was dissolved along with that organization by order of the American occupation authorities.Ando, Surrender, Occupation, and Private Property in International Law. pp. 170

/ref>

References

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Notes

{{Authority control 1937 establishments in Japan 1945 disestablishments in Japan Defunct political parties in Japan Empire of Japan Far-right politics in Japan Japanese militarism Nationalist parties in Japan Political parties disestablished in 1945 Political parties established in 1937 Youth organizations based in Japan Youth organizations established in 1937 Fascist parties Youth wings of fascist parties

History

See also

References

Notes