Empire of Japan

====Nationalism and decline of democracy====
{{Main|Japanese nationalism|Statism in Shōwa Japan|Imperial Way Faction|May 15 Incident|February 26 Incident}}
{{Further|Imperial Rule Assistance Association}}

[[Sadao Araki]] was an important figurehead and founder of the Army party and the most important militarist thinker in his time. His first ideological works date from his leadership of the Kōdōha (Imperial Benevolent Rule or Action Group), opposed by the [[Tōseiha]] (Control Group) led by General [[Kazushige Ugaki]]. He linked the ancient (''[[bushido]]'' code) and contemporary local and European fascist ideals (see [[Statism in Shōwa Japan]]), to form the ideological basis of the movement (Shōwa nationalism).

[[File:226 Police HQ Rebels.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Rebel troops assembling at police headquarters during the [[February 26 incident|February 26 Incident]]]]

From September 1931, the Japanese were becoming more locked into the course that would lead them into the Second World War, with Araki leading the way. [[Totalitarianism]], [[militarism]], and [[expansionism]] were to become the rule, with fewer voices able to speak against it. In a September 23 news conference, Araki first mentioned the philosophy of "Kōdōha" (The [[Imperial Way Faction]]). The concept of Kodo linked the Emperor, the people, land, and morality as indivisible. This led to the creation of a "new" Shinto and increased [[Emperor worship]].

On February 26, 1936, a coup d'état was attempted (the [[February 26 Incident]]). Launched by the ultranationalist Kōdōha faction with the military, it ultimately failed due to the intervention of the Emperor. Kōdōha members were purged from the top military positions and the Tōseiha faction gained dominance. However, both factions believed in expansionism, a strong military, and a coming war. Furthermore, Kōdōha members, while removed from the military, still had political influence within the government.

The state was being transformed to serve the Army and the Emperor. Symbolic katana swords came back into fashion as the martial embodiment of these beliefs, and the [[Nambu pistol]] became its contemporary equivalent, with the implicit message that the Army doctrine of close combat would prevail. The final objective, as envisioned by Army thinkers such as Sadao Araki and right-wing line followers, was a return to the old Shogunate system, but in the form of a contemporary Military Shogunate. In such a government the Emperor would once more be a figurehead (as in the Edo period). Real power would fall to a leader very similar to a führer or duce, though with the power less nakedly held. On the other hand, the traditionalist Navy militarists defended the Emperor and a constitutional monarchy with a significant religious aspect.

A third point of view was supported by [[Prince Chichibu]], a brother of [[Emperor Shōwa]], who repeatedly counseled him to implement a ''direct imperial rule'', even if that meant suspending the constitution.<ref>[[Herbert Bix]], ''[[Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan]]'', 2001, p. 284</ref>

With the launching of the [[Taisei Yokusankai|Imperial Rule Assistance Association]] in 1940 by Prime Minister [[Fumimaro Konoe]], Japan would turn to a form of government that resembled totalitarianism. This unique style of government, very similar to [[fascism]], was known as "Shōwa Statism".{{cn|date=March 2024}}

In the early twentieth century, a distinctive style of architecture was developed for the empire. Now referred to as [[Imperial Crown Style]] (帝冠様式, ''teikan yōshiki''), before the end of World War II, it was originally referred to as ''Emperor's Crown Amalgamate Style'', and sometimes ''Emperor's Crown Style'' (帝冠式, Teikanshiki). The style is identified by Japanese-style roofing on top of [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] styled buildings; and can have a centrally elevated structure with a pyramidal dome. The prototype for this style was developed by architect [[Shimoda Kikutaro]] in his proposal for the Imperial Diet Building (present National Diet Building) in 1920 – although his proposal was ultimately rejected. Outside of the Japanese mainland, in places like [[Taiwan]] and [[Korea]], Imperial Crown Style architecture often included regional architectural elements.<ref>{{cite book |author=Francis Chia-Hui Lin |title=Heteroglossic Asia: The Transformation of Urban Taiwan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BYIcBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT85 |date=January 9, 2015 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-62637-4 |pages=85–}}</ref>

Overall, during the 1920s, Japan changed its direction toward a democratic system of government. However, [[parliamentary government]] was not rooted deeply enough to withstand the economic and political pressures of the 1930s, during which military leaders became increasingly influential. These shifts in power were made possible by the ambiguity and imprecision of the Meiji Constitution, particularly as regarded the position of the Emperor in relation to the constitution.