Apr
15
The Colonel’s Corner; Introduction, Part I
Welcome True Believers to the first installment of “The Colonel’s Corner”! Perhaps you wandered into this column by mistake, or maybe you are just curious as to what words of incomparable wisdom this text holds. Whatever the reason you have reached the point of no return and have entered my domicile, it is my most sincere suggestion that you sit down. Maybe prop your feet up and enjoy the ride.
You see, The Colonel is known to ramble. I realize I am quite proficient at this complex art form, and obviously so do the publishers of this fine compendium of information! For this reason I was chosen to distribute my infinite wisdom of the very interesting and complex Japanese political scene to you all.
Before you learn about how Godzilla and Pikachu actually control the government, you must embrace the tumultuous history of this grand country. By most calculations this should take longer than it would take Jar Jar Binks to finish Hooker on Phonics.
If you are under the impression that Japan is ruled by the Communist party, please read no further and lay off the moonshine.
A person such as myself could prattle on for hours about ancient Japanese history and political and social development. However this not essential to understand the modern day political system, ergo The Colonel will skip the stories of early development and even the ever popular samurai.
The starting point for our adventure is in the middle of the 1800s! This was a time when the small island was ruled by the Tokuwgawa shogunate who maintained control for approximately two hundred and fifty years. This soon came to an end. People inside Japan were tired of the Tokuwgawa control and began to make steps towards removing them from power. At the same time pressure was exerted upon the shogunate by the US Naval forces commanded by Matthew C. Perry.
The Tokuwgawa shogunate had long practiced a policy of isolationism, and Commodore Perry, representing the US, very much wanted to trade with the country. After a small demonstration of American technology the government buckled and let their isolationist policies down.
Using this moment of weakness, the people of Japan ousted the Tokuwgawas and returned the Emperor to power. This was known as the Meiji Restoration, a period where many western ideas were adopted and the country made advancements toward a very limited democracy.
However all was not well on the island. The citizens found themselves at war with China and Russia, both of which were soundly defeated, and were faced with growing military. As national pride rose with the defeat of China the military took control of the country. The country became decidedly far more expansionist and militaristic. Soon thereafter, Japan invaded mainland China and made agreements with Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany. The cards were dealt for Japan’s boldest move in recent history which they made on a day in December 1941….
Alas, if there time enough in this world The Colonel would lecture about the tiniest ramification of the destruction of a single bullet. Yet there is not such an infinite amount of time. This brief summary of Japanese political history will be continued in the next installment and expounded upon in future installments. Many events were skipped or only slightly covered which was very important to the development of the world as a whole, and if you are interested in those you should be able to find information on them somewhere on the internets.
Ahead, Warp Factor 5 Mr. Sulu!
Your Correspondent in the Annals of Time,
The Colonel
