Incident of 26-February

The Incident of 26-February (二・二六事件 Nor-niroku jiken ) is an attempt at Coup d'etat which took place with the Japan, of the February 26th to the February 29th 1936, on behalf of the faction ultranationalist of the Armée imperial Japanese woman the Kodoha. Several politicians were assassinated, and Tokyo centers it was for one short period with the hands of the insurrectionists before the putsch is not repressed.

Events of February 26th, 1936

In the first hours of the February 26th 1936, approximately 1400 men directed by young officers of the Army spread themselves in the center of Tokyo making sure control of the principal governmental buildings, of which the Diète, the Ministry for the War, and the district-general of the Metropolitan Police of Tokyo. The Minister for Finance Takahashi Korekiyo, Minister of Justice Saito Makoto, and the General inspector with military Education, the General Jotaro Watanabe, were killed.

A group of officers took by storm the Kantei (residence of the Prime Minister) and tried to kill the Prime Minister Okada Keisuke, who escaped when the rebels killed by error his brother-in-law. The residence of the Great chamberlain, the Admiral Suzuki Kantaro, was also taken for target and seriously wounded Kantaro. The houses of preceding the politician and Minister of Justice Makino Nobuaki Saionji Kimmochi were also attacked, but the two men succeeded in escaping. The insurrectionists also tried to take the Imperial palace but had to be solved to withdraw itself in front of the resistance of the imperial guards.

The rebels came into contact with the Minister for the Army Yoshiyuki Kawashima by asking for the dissolution of the government and its replacement by a new cabinet, directed by a general favorable to their claims. They stated to fight, in the name of the Emperor, against the corrupted government which thought of advantage to grow rich that to regulate the economic problems of the country.

The military authorities were, initially, reticent to use the force to repress this revolt, fearing that it does not emerge in civil war in the capital. Moreover, the many ones high-graded shared the point of view of the rebels and were in favor of their requests. The garrison of Tokyo, in particular, supported the coup attempt of State. However, there existed also a strong opposition to the putsh within the Army, incarnated by the Toseiha and the Japanese imperial Marine, which deployed its ships in the Baie of Tokyo placing the rebels with range of their artillery. The strongest opposition came from the Empereur Showa itself, which was scandalized by the murder of its close relations advisers. When its aide-de-camp as a chief, the general Shigeru Honjo (a time known as a partisan of Sadao Araki, the leader of the Kodoha), informed it of the revolt, the emperor ordered immediately that she is subdued and qualified the insurrectionists of " rebelles" ( bôtô ). As Honjô took their defense, Hirohito retorted: “Without Our orders, of the troops were mobilized. It does not matter how they are called, they are not more Our troupes." The emperor ordered then to the Minister for the Army, Kawashima, to remove the rebellion within one hour and requested accounts from Honjô every half-hour. (Peter Wetzler, Hirohito and War , 1998, p.188)

Events of the February 27th 1936

The February 27th 1936, the martial Loi was declared in Tokyo, and of the troops were called in reinforcement.

When Honjô informed it that little progress had been carried out, Hirohito was carried: “If it is needed, I will take myself the head of Konoe division and will subdue the rebellion!” (Peter Wetzler, ibid)

Events of the February 28th 1936

The February 28th 1936, the Emperor signed the order ordering with the Army and the Navy to repress the revolt and to expel the rebels of their positions.

Events of the February 29th 1936

The February 29th 1936, always reticent to use the force against its own men, the Army tried a psychological persuasion campaign, ordering to the rebels to give up their positions and to go, making circulate copies of the imperial order, proving that the Emperor rejected the coup d'etat. The rebellious officers exhausted by these four days did not do anything to prevent their men from going, and, at midday, the large one of the troops had deserted their stations and had returned in their barracks. The blow had failed. In the evening, two officers were made Seppuku rather than to go, the remainder was stopped.

The Lawsuit

The military tribunal in load of the lawsuit condemned 19 men (of which the philosopher of extreme-right-hand side Kita Ikki and its disciple Mitsugi Nishida), to being carried out and 70 others were condemned to custodial sentences. None the privates was continued, and the martial law remained in force in Tokyo until the July 18th 1936.

The Army benefitted from the situation to increase its political power and its budget, it imposed a greater censure and a harder control of the activities of the political activities of the citizens. The Okada Prime Minister was constrained with the resignation in March, and replaced by Hirota Koki (which signed the tripartite Agreements later). Some is are original goal, the Incident of 26-February reinforced the Japanese Militarisme. It constituted a big step in the climbing which was going to lead to the second Sino-Japanese war, which began the following year.

The Incident of 26-February always caused the controversy in Japan, it was the subject many films and documentary. Famous novels like the Patriotism of Yukio Mishima, Gekiryu (Ground swell) of Jun Takami, or Kizoku No kaidan (the step of the aristocrats) of Takeda Taijun.

Although one does not have a proof of this assertion, certain historians think that the young brother of the Emperor Hirohito, the prince Yasuhito Chichibu, was behind the Incident of 26-February in an attempt to recover the throne of Japan. Other partisans of the thesis of the plot went until saying that the Hirohito Emperor simulated the rebellion to create the feeling that measurements were to be taken to reinforce safety.

List Participants

The following men took an active part in the Incident of 26-February:

Sadao Araki
Kingoro Hashimoto
Shigeru Honjo
Kita Ikki
Fusanosuke Kuhara
Makino Nobuaki
Jiro Minami
Mitsugi Nishida
Saionji Kimmochi
Saito Makoto
Okada Keisuke
Kantaro Suzuki
Takahashi Korekiyo
Hideki Tojo
Jotaro Watanabe

External bonds

{{in}} Article in the '' Filipino Daily Enquirer ''
{{in}} '' Patriotisme '' a fictionalized account of the Incident, by [[Yukio Mishima]]

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