Military Academy incident

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The Military Academy incident (士官学校事件, Shikan Gakko Jiken), also known as the November incident (十一月事件, Juichigatsu Jiken) was an attempted coup d'état that took place in the Empire of Japan in November 1934. It was one of a sequence of similar conspiracies for a "Shōwa Restoration" led by radical elements with the Imperial Japanese Army.

Background

The failed coup attempts in 1931 (the

system as an alternative to the perceived corrupt party politics dominated democratic government, inspired similar plans by other groups within the military.

In 1934, a group of five

in January 1934, formulated their own plan for overthrowing the government. However, in early November 1934, Sato, one of the cadets, informed the government authorities about the plan and its Imperial Way Faction involvement.

Forewarned, Captain

on 20 November 1934, ending the possible coup d'état before it could even get started. For lack of evidence, the accused could not be convicted; but the five cadets were expelled from the academy in March 1935, and the two officers, Muranaka and Isobe were suspended for six months from duty in April 1935.

When the suspended officers Muranaka and Isobe later distributed pamphlets entitled "Remonstrance for the Restoration of Military Discipline" (otherwise known as "Views on the Housecleaning of the Army"), they were dismissed from the service outright in August 1935.

The Aizawa Incident

The Imperial Way Faction believed that Sato had been acting as a spy for Captain Tsuji all along, and that the whole affair was a trap laid by their rivals, the Tōseiha faction to discredit General Jinzaburō Masaki, the Inspector-General of Military Education, as the incident led to General Masaki's dismissal.

In retaliation, in what came to be known as the Aizawa Incident (相沢事件, Aizawa jiken), an Imperial Way Faction officer, Lieutenant Colonel

was also forced to resign over the affair.

Consequences

The Military Academy Incident and the Aizawa Incident were indicative of the increasing politicization and

February 26 Incident

.

See also

• Imperial Way Faction

References

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• Gordon, Andrew (2003). A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present. Oxford University Press.
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• Harries, Meirion (1994). Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House; Reprint edition.
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• Sims, Richard (2001). Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868-2000. Palgrave Macmillan.
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• ISBN 0-8129-6858-1
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