The Interrelationship between the Meiji period and the Militarist Period

1.) The Meiji Constitution

The Meiji Period and the Militarist Period are inter-related. According to the Meiji Constitution of 1889, the ministries of the army and navy were to directly report to the emperor, and the successors of the army and navy ministers should be selected from soldiers in active duty. Thus, the soldiers acquired an important position in the political scene.
The Privy Council was the highest advisory body of the state. In the late 1920s and early1930s, the Council was determined to make use of the firm policies of the militarist government to exterminate the challenges of the extremists who might destroy the constitution and threaten the basis of society.
Also, the Genro was very influential in the appointment of Prime Minister or in policy-making because the Emperor should consult him before making any decision. That Taisho was in weak health, inexperienced, and being isolated from the realities of life made him a figurehead rather than a leader.
The cabinet was directly responsible to the Emperor. The decisions of the Prime Minister could not be amended or rejected by the Diet. Once the militarists controlled the cabinet, they were able to carry out whatever militarist policy without any opposition from the Diet. Since the Diet could not control the cabinet nor could it influence the armed forces, it was not able to check the rise of militarism.

2.) The Military Reforms

In addition, ever since the Meiji Period, Japan had emphasized extreme nationalism and honoured the supremacy of national community. Towards foreign countries, Japan stressed her natural duty to rescue other nationalistic thought incited rise in militarism.
The army and navy emphasized the ancient spirit of Bushido to raise the morale of the soldiers and sailors. They were expected to be obedient to their superiors and loyal to the emperor. They were taught to be honourable to die for the country. This gave rise to extreme nationalist feelings among the military. This stimulated the Japanese ...

2.) The Military Reforms

In addition, ever since the Meiji Period, Japan had emphasized extreme nationalism and honoured the supremacy of national community. Towards foreign countries, Japan stressed her natural duty to rescue other nationalistic thought incited rise in militarism.
The army and navy emphasized the ancient spirit of Bushido to raise the morale of the soldiers and sailors. They were expected to be obedient to their superiors and loyal to the emperor. They were taught to be honourable to die for the country. This gave rise to extreme nationalist feelings among the military. This stimulated the Japanese aggression towards her neighbours in the 1890s and her desire to attain world power status.

3.) The use of education to encourage nationalism

Modern systems of communication and education, employing measures such as censorship, propaganda, and thought control would be used to counter Western concepts such as democracy, equality, independence, and freedom of speech. The same methods would be used to reinforce traditional Japanese values such as loyalty to superiors, obedience to authority, acceptance of inequality, selflessness, and self-discipline. Education would be one of the most effective mechanisms utilised by the Meiji reformers to achieve their aims.
Imperial Japanese education did not encourage freedom of thought and conscience, and followed this pattern until 1945.
As Japan's foreign policy became more aggressive during the first decades of the twentieth century, Japanese national thinking became increasingly militaristic and education took on an intensely nationalistic character which was designed to support Japan's military aggression in East Asia.

4.) Economic reforms

Japanese industrialists supported overseas expansions for getting raw materials to secure overseas markets for their manufactured goods and to find overseas investment opportunities. Japan became more aggressive and expansionist.
The zaibatsu families would be rewarded by a grateful imperial government with political power and commercial privileges. Many of the government-initiated heavy manufacturing industries were later sold to zaibatsu families at generous prices, and the government maintained only indirect control over defence-related industries. The economic domination of the zaibatsu became more prominent.
Later, the zaibatsu colluded with the warlords to control the government. They advocated the removal of party politics, implemented hard-line diplomacy and actively engaged in foreign aggression.