October incident
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The October incident (十月事件, Jūgatsu Jiken), also known as the Imperial Colors incident (錦旗革命事件, Kinki Kakumei Jiken), was an abortive
ultranationalist
groups.
Background and history
Having failed to replace the government with a
March Incident of March 1931, Lt. Col. Kingoro Hashimoto of the Sakurakai and his ultra-nationalist civilian supporters, including Shūmei Ōkawa
, resolved to try again in October 1931.
Soon after the
Imperial Guards and ten bomber aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy
.
The main elements of the plot included:
- Key statesmen and officials such as assassinated.
- The Tokyo Metropolitan PoliceHeadquarters, and other key government buildings were to be seized by troops loyal to the Sakurakai
- A new cabinet would be formed under the auspices of Gen. political parties, and would consolidate the recent territorial gains of Japan in Manchuria.
- The Emperor would be forced to accept this Shōwa Restoration even if under threat of violence.[1]
However, younger elements within the conspiracy came to doubt their leaders and seceded from the plot. In addition, there were leaks that reached
War Minister Gen. Jirō Minami. He requested Gen. Sadao Araki to pacify the malcontents. Araki thereupon attempted to reason with Hashimoto and Chō, but they refused to abandon their scheme and Araki had them arrested by the Kempeitai
—military police—on 17 October 1931.
The punishments for this abortive coup were even milder than for the previous
March Incident, as Gen. Minami publicly excused the plot as simply an excess of patriotic zeal. Hashimoto was sentenced to 20 days house arrest
, Chō to 10 days and the other ringleaders were simply transferred.
Consequences
The October Incident, also known as the "Imperial Colors Incident", thus ended in apparent failure and resulted in the dissolution of the Sakurakai. However, the lightness of the punishments only encouraged more attempted military intervention in the government, cumulating with the
February 26 Incident of 1936.[2]
References
- Beasley, W.G. (2000). The Rise of Modern Japan, 3rd Edition: Political, Economic, and Social Change since 1850. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-23373-6.
- Kiernan, Ben (2007). Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10098-3.
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