13. The Black Dragon Society operated around the world
The Black Dragon Society was formed long before the beginning of the Showa period (1901) initially as a paramilitary and espionage organization. By the 1920s it was an organization of relatively small size, but among its members were senior military officers and members of the Diet and cabinet. Many of Japan’s most influential and wealthy businessmen also supported the society. During the early Showa period, it publicly attacked liberals and others who opposed Japan’s evolving militarism, at the same time conducting espionage and other activities against them. By the 1930s it was operating covertly in China, Korea, and the Soviet Union.
During the 1930s it also expanded its espionage activities in Singapore, Burma, India, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands, and in the mainland United States. Black Dragon activities expanded to Europe during the latter years of the 1930s. Especially in the United States, Black Dragon agents were used to foment racial tensions and unrest, and were a large factor in the decision to isolate Japanese Americans in detention camps at the beginning of American involvement in World War II. They often worked in conjunction with Kempetai agents overseas, involved in espionage and sabotage activities.
