| February 26 Incident |
Article Index for February 26 |
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Information AboutFebruary 26 Incident |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FEBRUARY 26 INCIDENT | |
| coups | |
| empire of japan | |
| history of japan | |
| rebellions in japan | |
| conflicts in 1936 | |
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The rebels were fighting in the name of the Emperor against what they saw as a pro-industry, overly political government that needed to pay more attention to conquering Asia. Hirohito responded by ordering the army and navy to suppress the revolt. On the 29th, both services reported that they had captured all the rebels, and either executed them or demanded that they commit Ritual Suicide . Martial Law was imposed until July, and Okada was forced to resign in March, making way for a new premier, Hirota Koki (who ended up signing Japan's Alliance With Germany ). After some initial success, the coup started to unravel as the Emperor, General Hideki Tojo and surprisingly General Honjo (once a known supporter of Sadao Araki ) acted against the rebels. The Emperor showed unexpected firmness. After a brief political crisis and stalling from the military, the rebels were forced to surrender. In the aftermath, many radical officers were retired and the coup leaders were tried and executed. Whatever the motive, February 26 wiped out the pro-peace factions in Japan and placed the entire country on a solid militarist footing. It was an important step in the escalation in 1937 of the Second Sino-Japanese War , towards Shanghai and the Nanjing Massacre . The story behind the February 26 Incident is controversial in Japan, and has been the subject of many movies and fictional stories. Although there is no conclusive evidence to support their position, many believe that Hirohito's younger brother, Prince Chichibu Yasuhito , was behind the revolt. Some conspiracy theorists have gone as far as to say that Hirohito and his cohorts staged the rebellion to create the perception of a need for stronger internal security measures. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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