This is part 21 of my series on Shinto as a civil religion, you can find the rest of the series here.
After the Mukden Incident and the onset of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the League of Nations deemed Japan’s actions in China a “threat to peace” under Article 11. In 1932, a commission concluded that the best course of action would be for Japan to return Manchuria to Chinese control. Japan rejected this recommendation and withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933. Following Japan’s withdrawal, Tokutomi Soho published an article in Osaka Mainichi Shinbun expressing his support for Japan’s decision and its actions in China.
This article provides a clear view of Soho’s transformed attitude toward the “West.” He begins by emphasizing that Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations was not simply due to a lack of purpose in membership but as an act of protest. He wrote:
“We withdraw to proclaim our beliefs to the world. We withdraw to protest the tyranny of the League of Nations.”
Here, Soho positions himself as speaking on behalf of Japan. He frames the withdrawal as a defiant stand against what he sees as the League’s oppressive efforts to hinder Japan’s ambitions. According to Soho, Japan’s exit from the League should serve as a wake-up call to Europe and America, demonstrating that Asia is not merely a region for Western monopolization but a place where the people have their own aspirations. He wrote:
“Our withdrawal is therefore not just a matter of fulfilling our own aspirations, but it teaches Europeans and Americans that the world is not a place for them to monopolize, and it also shows Asians that they can be free from domination by Europeans and Americans. Our aims are… self-government for Asia, autonomy for Asia.”
However, Soho does not clarify that by “autonomy for Asia,” he envisions autonomy under Japanese leadership. This imperialistic interpretation becomes more explicit in a later text that will be analyzed in this section. Still, the above quote reveals Soho’s strong belief that Japan’s withdrawal was a positive step and a direct message to Europe and America: Japan would no longer allow itself to be controlled.
Soho’s Role in Spreading Civil Religion
The establishment of a Japanese empire was a key element of the civil religion prevalent in Japan at the time. Soho’s article reflects this ideology, as he supports Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations on the grounds that the League sought to prevent the expansion of the Japanese empire.
By framing Japan’s actions as righteous and aligning them with the civil religion’s narrative of Japan’s destiny as a leader in Asia, Soho reinforced and spread this belief system through his writing. His support for Japan’s imperial ambitions illustrates how the media played a role in propagating the civil religion, not just as a tool of the state but also through independent voices like Soho’s.
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Sources
Theodore De Bary, William(ed.). Sources of Japanese Tradition: Volume Two 1600-2000. Colombia University Press: New York, 2005. Print. Pp. 1159-1160.
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