The Japanese people, both inside Japan and in immigrant communities outside the home islands, had to deal with some bizarre extremist groups in the 1930s and 1940s. Take the group headed by a radical Buddhist preacher who experienced visions that convinced him he was Japan’s savior. He set up a group that sought to reform Japan via a campaign of widespread assassination. Or take the retired colonel who established a radical group among Japanese immigrants. He convinced thousands of fellow countrymen, even after Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, that their country had actually won the war. Those who proved skeptical were beaten up and murdered. Below are sixteen surprising and fascinating facts about those weird radical groups that sought to transform Japan, and even bend reality.
16. The Aptly Named “League of Blood”
In the years leading up to World War II, Japan was caught in a vice between the desire to preserve its heritage, and the need to modernize lest it succumb to Western imperialism, as most of Asia had already done. A toxic mix of nationalism and militarism took an already touchy situation and made it worse, ultimately leading to the decision to attack Pearl Harbor. En route, there was plenty of craziness, such as “The League of Blood” – a violent ultranationalist organization resembling HYDRA from the GI-Joe fictional universe, that planned to change Japan via murder. Its main targets were liberal politicians and rich businessmen. The group was headed by a crackpot Buddhist preacher named Nissho Inoue, who had experienced some mystical visions in the 1920s while wandering around China. That left him convinced that he had been chosen as Japan’s savior, and that the country needed a spiritual rebirth.