court-group

The chapter explores the contested and evolving nature of kokutai ideology during Japan's regency and interwar periods, highlighting the erosion of traditional imperial authority amid social and political change. It details the decline in reverence for Emperor Hirohito within the military elite, the state's repression of dissenting views on imperial legitimacy, and the influence of ultranationalist religious movements. Upon Hirohito's accession, the chapter examines the political dynamics within the court group, revealing tensions between factions favoring active imperial intervention and those advocating constitutional restraint, marking a critical moment in the transformation of the emperor's role in Japan's political landscape.

This chapter examines the strategic role of Emperor Hirohito's court group in shaping Japanese politics during the early Shōwa era by maintaining the fiction of constitutional monarchy while exercising real imperial authority. The court group operated as a privileged elite that influenced prime ministerial appointments, managed political parties, and orchestrated symbolic rituals to enhance the emperor's legitimacy, all while employing secrecy and indirect governance to uphold and expand imperial power beyond constitutional constraints.