The SH WA PERIOD was the longest reign in Japanese history. After a few more years of the liberalism and internationalism of the Taish period, a sudden and sharp militaristic and imperialistic reaction set in after the Manchurian Incident (Sept. 18, 1931). There was a partial repudiation of popular intellectual and cultural aspects of Western civilization and a revival of older Japanese ideologies. Politicians lost their influence, and the army and, to a lesser extent, the navy became the dominant forces in the government, with the farming populace more often than not supporting the military against the urban bourgeoisie and the large economic combines or zaibatsu. Under this leadership, the nation embarked on a daring program of territorial expansion on the continent. Meanwhile, Japanese industry was growing rapidly, and Japanese manufactured goods began to flood the world market. | 1 |
kai, became prime minister, pursuing an “activist” policy toward China.