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Why did the “rational wolves” end up extinct.
I’d like to share with you a story of history that I’ve been working on, and I hope you like it.
One day in early 1946, an old man dressed in a kimono came to the U.S. military police headquarters in Tokyo, and from his faltering steps with a cane and his painful expression every Time he took a step, it was easy for anyone to see that this man was already running out of time.
But the old man just said two words, and everyone present was stunned.
The first sentence was, “I am a surrenderer, and I think I am qualified to be a Class A war criminal.”
The second sentence was, “If I were to be the Chief of General Staff, it would not be your turn to show off here today.”
Yes, this strange old man who came to the Allied Military Police Command to “surrender” himself was Ishihara Kanl, who was once called the number one staff officer of The Japanese Army.
As the mastermind and initiator of the September 18 Incident, we Chinese are very familiar with this man.
Interestingly, in 1946, he was unknown to the U.S. Army. At the end of World War II, he was waiting at Home to be captured, but no U.S. troops came to his door for several months, and the Americans didn’t even remember that he was there. ……
Ishihara felt his character was so insulted that he ran to turn himself in voluntarily.
In the small circle of Japanese militarists, Ishihara was not in a good position at this time, because he repeatedly criticized Tojo’s policy at the end of the war and opposed war with the United States, he had become a “non-national” (Japanese traitor) in the mouth of the fanatical militarists.
How did Ishihara go from being a Japanese “national hero” who started the September 18 Incident to this? There is a story here.
In 1889, he was born in Yamagata Prefecture in northeastern Japan.
In today’s terms, Ishihara Kanl is a typical “small town problem maker”: not particularly well-born, but exceptionally smart, from childhood in all schools is not much to learn but the top.
When he applied for the Army University, one of the questions in the interview was: “How should a machine gun be used?”
The answer that the examiner wanted was the World War I style of fighting – barbed wire in front, crouching in the trenches and bursting through.
But after pondering for a moment, Ishihara answered, “Mount it on a plane and shoot at the infantry on the ground!”
This answer froze all the examiners – no one had thought that machine guns could be used in this way.
The year was 1915, and the fighter plane predicted by Ishihara happened to be invented by the French in April of that year.
This kind of person was a good choice to join the military, but Ishihara was depressed throughout his military school days.
When he was studying at the army cadet school, the top five graduating students were given a silver pocket watch by The Emperor, but the school authorities gave Ishihara a very low “conduct score” for “bad conduct”, and his ranking was dragged down to the sixth place.
While studying at Rikkyo University, Ishihara again failed. His graduation grade was originally the first, according to the rules, the chief graduate enjoys the honor of audience with the emperor and deliver the imperial lecture, but near the end of the school, the university suddenly found a reason to make him into the second.
One of the reasons why Ishihara is “targeted” everywhere he goes is that this person is really arrogant, and everywhere he goes, he treats his classmates and even teachers as idiots.
But the more important reason is that the Japanese army at that time “inside” Culture has been very serious.
The country of Japan originally had a martial culture under the cultivation of Bushido, and men were happy to join the military. After the Meiji Restoration, due to the long-standing policy of giving priority to the military, the elite of the society was concentrated in the military.
However, it was impossible to expand the Japanese army indefinitely, as students graduated from military schools every year. On the contrary, after World War I, all countries began to disarm, and the competition for positions within the Japanese army became more intense than ever.
Any society is the same, the internal volume of a fierce, there are always people who have the way will go to fight father.
For example, later when the Japanese Prime Minister, and became the chief Japanese World War II Class A war criminal Tojo Hideki.
This guy has an identity that many people may not know, his father Tojo Eikyo is the first chief graduate of the Japanese Army University, in Japan that everything depends on the Education of the “education society”, the first chief of the Army University this is still good? So Tojo Hideki although not smart, but also nothing dazzling achievements, but all the way to official success, which must be said that there is the element of shade.
And Ishihara can not see this kind of people: in addition to having a schoolmaster father, this guy what is better than me? Why am I not as good as him?
Ishihara: I did all these things just to sit with Tojo and take a picture?
So Ishihara devoted his Life to ridiculing Tojo’s incompetence, calling him “Tojo’s superior soldier” and saying he was only worthy of watching the warehouse and only in charge of five machine guns.
When Ishihara appeared as a witness at the Tokyo trial, he seized every opportunity to criticize Tojo in the courtroom, stunning the prosecutors who questioned him.
But Ishihara’s origin is relatively low, out of the mix can only rely on their own, see themselves so talented but everywhere suppressed, of course, angry in the heart, vowed to make a name for themselves:.
What the Japanese military community did not realize at the time was that it was this mentality of Ishihara and his peers, the “humble officers”, that sounded the death knell for the destruction of old Japan.
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In 1928, after graduating from school, Ishihara, who had been in a difficult position, finally became a staff officer in the Kwantung Army on the recommendation of Daisaku Kawamoto.
In fact, this position was not good: not to mention that the Kwantung Army was later touted as the “flower of the Imperial Army”, but at that time it was quite unpopular, as the Kwantung Army was actually the railroad garrison of the South Manchurian Railway, not only was it weak, with only 10,000 men, but according to the intention of the Japanese civilian government, the Kwantung Army was also facing the expiration of the Treaty on the Lease of the South Manchurian Railway between Japan and China. According to the Japanese civilian government, the Kwantung Army also faced the embarrassing prospect of leaving after the expiration of the “South Manchuria Railway Lease Treaty”.
Because of this, this unit once became a recycling station for the Japanese Army to send out unpopular and unpopular officers, and this arrangement allowed the Kwantung Army to accumulate a large number of depressed officers.
Patriotism is the last refuge of hooligans, the more depressed this group of soldiers, the more they have to “worry about the country and the people” as their own responsibility, to vent their own accumulated belly of youth hormones. At this time, Ishihara Kanal was like a spark that fell on this powder keg.
At this time, ishihara kaner is already nearly confused, talented plus half a life of hard work, but ended up in such a situation, you can imagine how angry he: since you do not treat me as a dish, well, I have to make a heavy bomb, a shock, so that you have to pay attention to me as a natural genius!
So Ishihara used his clever head and pencil to come up with a set of “final war theory”.
The so-called “final war theory” is that sooner or later there must be a war between the East and the West.
At that time in Japan, there were many people who had this idea, and Japan in the 1920s was actually a bit gray, not only was its foreign expansion suppressed by the United Kingdom and the United States, but there were also earthquakes and economic crises at home. The Japanese people were holding a bad breath in their stomachs. They all felt that they had to fight with these countries.
Ishihara’s rational and logical writing broke the issue down and was immediately hailed. The Mainichi Shimbun published more than 30 editorials in support of the story. Ishihara became an “internet sensation”.
Ishihara not only pointed out the problem, but also gave ideas to solve it. Ishihara said: Japan’s depth is too small to conduct a modern war, in order to fight with the West, first of all, there must be a rear base, and this base is Manchuria (northeast China).
You see how perfect this theory is. It immediately pointed the way for the idle cynics of the Kwantung Army: the land beneath our feet was not a “land of exile”, but a “hotbed of entrepreneurship”!
As a result, Ishihara gathered a large number of “fans” in the Kwantung Army and became the “brain of the Kwantung Army” who was obeyed by even his superiors.
The general netizens should stop after gaining fame, but Ishihara’s characteristic is not only daring to talk, but also daring to do.
This is when the oddity of the Japanese Army emerged – on the surface, the Japanese Army seemed to be a modern army with strict military laws. But in practice, as long as you put up the banner of “patriotism”, no one would dare to stop you.
Ishihara was able to grasp this point. He and his fans for the “September 18” Incident planning, under the banner of “maintenance of Japan’s lifeline” loud and clear, so that in the end, even the Japanese army stationed in Korea actually openly crossed the border and came to the northeast “to help. help”, saying that since the rise and fall of the imperial state is at stake in this battle, let’s “join in the fun”, okay?
Such a private military movement without the central, the Japanese Ministry of the military itself can not look down, sent a general called Kenkawa Meiji to inspect, Kenkawa this person is also a fan of Ishihara Kaner’s brain. He did not sit on the plane, he had to take the boat, to Korea and take the train, all the way to Shenyang (then called Fengtian). When he got off the train, it happened to be the night of September 18, 1931.
When he arrived at the place, Jianchuan saw that the atmosphere of the Kwantung Army was full of preparations for war, and it was clear that he wanted to make a big news tonight, so he simply ran to the tavern to have a drunken party.
That means: you can do what you want to do, I did not see.
But at this juncture, Ishihara and his minions themselves hesitated: Zhang Xueliang’s Northeast Army not only absolutely superior in numbers (10,000 Kwantung Army, 300,000 Northeast Army), but also better weaponry than the Kwantung Army, machine guns are Czech-made, aircraft, tanks are also available. The Guantung Army’s chances of winning against it were too small.
So just before the incident, Ishihara and a few “September 18” incident mastermind held a final meeting, the godlike Itagaki Shoushiro engaged in a divination ceremony: took a pencil vertical on the table, hand loose, to the left to dry, to the right to dry.
As a result, the pencil really fell down to the right.
A few people stare at each other, then break up and go home to sleep? Tomorrow, we will go to the General Jianchuan to receive the dust?
……
The serendipity of history suddenly came into play at this moment.
Sitting in the Imada Shintaro, at this time suddenly do not know what stimulation, jumped on the table on the sentence: “You do not do? I do it alone!”
The burning spirit of the second pole inspired everyone present, the group was excited, and the “September 18” Incident was finalized.
The treachery of history sometimes lies in the accident, Ishihara Guan left and right calculations, did not calculate their own luck is so good: “September 18” incident, Zhang Xueliang the boy withdrew without firing a shot, and when Kenchuan Meiji rose from the table, almost half of the Northeast has changed hands.
Ishihara Guanl’s “final war theory” was thus realized.
Ishihara and his little fanboy became Japan’s “national heroes” after this change, and Ishihara was soon transferred back to the central military department and became the head of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters, which held a lot of power. From then on, he was promoted and got a pay rise to the top of his life.
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Ishihara’s success is, on the surface, a story of success as a “War Wolf“. But if you analyze it carefully, you will find that he is not just a war wolf.
Ishihara’s character is a bit like an onion: at first glance, he looks like an eccentric, but when you peel off the coat of eccentricity, you see a supreme genius, and when you take off the mask of genius, you see the face of a militaristic cynic, but deep inside this cynic, there is the subtlety of a rare strategist.
These different levels of humanity unfolded in his life, forming the logic of Ishihara’s behavior in different times of his life.
Returning to Tokyo to take up his new post, Ishihara’s attitude suddenly took a big turn and became a flag bearer within the Japanese army who strongly advocated for a more accommodating approach to China.
In fact, this is consistent with Ishihara’s previous plan of thinking, according to Ishihara’s plan: Japan’s squeeze on China at this stage should end here. The northeast of China is rich in industrial and agricultural raw materials, Japan should seize the time to develop this feng shui land, to accumulate enough strategic strength, and China before the wings are full is not afraid to go to war with Japan to recover the territory.
In this strategic stalemate, China’s progress, Japan also progress, China’s recovery action will be far away. After 20 to 30 years, Japan has completely digested the benefits of aggression gained from “September 18”, and will further dismember and encroach on China ……
If Ishihara’s plan succeeds, I can’t imagine what Asia will be like in 100 years.
If Japan continues to occupy the Korean peninsula, northeast China and Taiwan, gaining enough volume for development and interfering with China’s unification and development, this country may indeed realize its ambition to dominate Asia and the world.
But unfortunately for Japan, and fortunately for us, Ishihara is a man who is able to calculate the world trend, but not the hearts of the people.
Perhaps even Ishihara himself did not realize that his September 18 adventure was like a catalyst for a series of chemical reactions within the Japanese army, which had already been severely imploded. A large number of juniors who came from humble backgrounds in the Japanese army and wanted to make a name for themselves but had no opportunity to do so took his legend as the “right way to get ahead” – since China was so easy to bully and they would get both fame and fortune after success, why not follow Ishihara’s example? Various “Little Ishihara Kanl” sprang up in the Japanese army.
Originally, in Ishihara’s philosophy, Japan should have called it quits after the successful “gamble” in Northeast China, but the “Little Ishihara Kanl” felt that this was not enough! How can we show our ability without chanting new radical slogans and launching new adventures? Oh, you, Ishihara, have been fed and watered by being a “war wolf” for a while, but we are still hungry? You are allowed to do it but not us?
That’s why there are all kinds of copycat versions of the “final war theory”, and the idea is similar: Ishihara thinks Japan is too small.
Ishihara thinks Japan is too small and wants to grab the northeast of China (Manchuria) as “depth”?
Well, I propose that “Manchuria” is also too small, need to grab North China, Inner Mongolia as a deep.
Another person said: North China and Inner Mongolia are not enough! We need to take South China as the depth!
Another one said, “Even South China is not enough, let’s take over all of China!
Another one said, “China is not enough, we need to create an absolute defense circle, to break the “ABCD (American, British, Chinese and Dutch) encirclement network” ah!
……
Love slogans shouted one by one loud private? All are personal calculations, because this group of people understand that only new adventures to have new opportunities for promotion. They can come out on top.
The cottage version of the “final war theory” is so step by step outward, “Little Ishihara Kaner” does not have the original Ishihara’s fine consideration of strategy, but each ambition is bigger than him.
And after “September 18”, Japan’s environment is also very evil, whether in the military, political circles, public opinion, those who call for shrinkage, peace is easy to be “heavenly punishment” by the young and strong, radical militant but incomparable political security. This formed a vicious circle, radical war wolves into the “internal volume”, than pulling the voice.
Thus came the unlucky day of Ishihara Kanal.
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In the winter of 1936, after a few years, Ishihara Kanl set foot again in the northeast of mainland China, the land where he had made his “fortune”.
The purpose of Ishihara’s visit was the same as that of Miji Kenkawa, who had come to put out the fire – at that time, his successor Muto-chan was working as a staff officer in the Kwantung Army.
The ambitious Muto-chan wanted to follow Ishihara’s example and planned the “Suiyuan Incident” to create a second pseudo “Manchukuo” in Inner Mongolia, China.
When Ishihara was informed, he immediately flew over by plane to admonish him.
Ishihara and Muto both belonged to the “unification faction” in Japan, and they used to know each other very well. So after they met, Ishihara did not even bother to say “have you eaten” and other pleasantries. Directly began to educate the younger generation: after September 18, China has reached the limit of tolerance, Japan’s urgent task is to digest the “Manchurian interests”, can not rush to expand. Britain and the United States has been watching Japan, any further action is bound to lead to sanctions ……
It should be said that these predictions of Ishihara, later proved to be correct. The man is worthy of being a strategist, and all his predictions were accurate.
But to these brilliant arguments, Muto Zhang did not listen to a word, patiently listened to a while, as a sign of respect for the “seniors”, a word back: “Ishihara seniors,” said.
“Ishihara-senpai, we are just repeating what you did in Manchuria, what is wrong with that?”
Ishihara had nothing to say – yes, you, Ishihara, did not also rely on this set of overnight fortune? We are both “patriotic”, our patriotism is more fervent than yours, why can’t we do what you did? “Patriotism” also has to be ranked according to seniority or what?
So Ishihara had to go away in disgrace, and went back to watch the Muto chapter and a new generation of “adventurers” to promote the full-scale invasion of mainland China.
Powerless to stop it, Ishihara turned into a dove of peace at this time, saying “Japan will die if we fight again” ah! War with China is a “quagmire”! The nation must be sensible and sober!
The militarists, who had hailed him as a “hero”, looked at him and said.
I didn’t expect this, but you, Ishihara, with your small eyes, have “defected” from the revolution!
Shut down! Disinvite! Ishihara’s popularity was soon gone.
Later on, Muto Zhang and others who relied on him to climb up the ladder “returned home”, simply excluded Ishihara from the military, he retired in disgrace with a false position, after a period of teaching, but still can not change his nature, actually in Tojo Hideki’s administration openly criticized government policies, advocating “East Asia peace “He even lost his job.
In 1945, near the end of the war, because Japan’s warships and warplanes in the Pacific theater had been cleaned out by the U.S. military, the new generation of “cynics” who were bombed every day had nowhere to vent their “patriotic fervor”, so they seized the fight in the country The “non-national”, looking around, found that there is actually such an old guy around it! Every day preaching “another war against the United States will die”, immediately took Ishihara as a lackey of U.S. imperialism, threatened to kill him.
Speaking of which, you can understand why Ishihara Guanl rushed to the Americans to give himself up, right?
Death in the hands of the Americans, at least as a “Showa youth” of his “mercy”, if really by a new generation of “patriotic aspirants” of the “death of heaven If he was really killed by the new generation of “patriots”, it would be too funny: the old generation of “war wolves” were bitten to death by the new wolf cubs as imperialist lapdogs, what is this?
But in the end, Ishihara did not escape the dark humor that fate had in store for him.
Although he “turned himself in,” the Americans refused to arrest him as a Class A war criminal.
The American commander in Japan, Mark Arthur, was determined to let the emperor and most of the Japanese right wing off the hook, only to find Tojo and others as scapegoats. After the war, Japan’s liquidation was based on the principle of “Tojo must be dealt with, anti-Tojo is not asked”.
As mentioned above, Ishihara hated Tojo the most. Therefore, the training asked half a day, the Americans slammed the table: so you are anti-war people ah!
But you are here, so let’s be a witness. So the Tokyo trial called him to testify several times, and each time Ishihara tried to make a long speech, trying to emphasize that he was the author of the “Final War” theory – those guys sitting in the dock now, they were all copycats of me!
Every time, the U.S. Attorney said, “Okay, okay, you stop, “No need to say so much, my question, you just need to answer yes or no on it.”
Then Ishihara was let go home in a depressed mood, having lived less than a year longer than his hated Tojo.
On August 15, 1949, the day of Japan’s “final war anniversary,” Ishihara died quietly at home of illness.
The U.S. occupation forces recorded Ishihara as “a well-known anti-Tojo activist and peace advocate”.
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There are war wolves coming out of the rivers and mountains from generation to generation, each leading the way for three or five years.
I wonder if you wonder why so few radicals have managed to keep their radicalism within certain boundaries? Why do they inevitably go crazy? Are there no “rational radicals” or “rational war wolves”?
The dark humor of Ishihara Kaner’s life will inspire us.
In a closed environment where only one voice is allowed to be heard. Even if a theory has a rational and pragmatic starting point, it will eventually undergo “reverse elimination” and be replaced by more radical and irrational thinking – a bottomless pit of reverse elimination.
And in this crazy in-roll, no one can finally gain. Even if you are a war wolf this wolf.
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