Tokutomi Soho
COMMENTS ON
THE IMPERIAL RESCRIPT FOR WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN AND THE
UNITED STATES
Japan declared
war on the United States
and Great Britain
by means
of an imperial rescript that went point by point through Japan's
grievances and argued that it had no alternative but to go to war.
Shortly
after this official proclamation, Tokutomi wrote an extensive
commentary on the
rescript. Exhorting Japan
to
become the Leader and Light of Asia, Tokutomi reveals the degree to
which he
now espoused the ideology of imperial Japan and the sacred
imperial
institution. As Tokutomi saw it, the war was clearly a moral campaign
waged by
the "moral" Japanese against the "immoral" West.
The Basis of
the Imperial Way
The virtue of
sincerity is represented by the Mirror, the virtue of love is
represented by
the Jewels, and the virtue of intelligence is represented by the Sword.
. . .
Then, it is not wrong to liken the Three Sacred Treasures to the three
virtues
of intelligence, love, and courage by saying that the Mirror
represents the
intelligence which reflects everything, the Jewel, the love which
embraces
everything, and the Sword the courage which judges between justice and
injustice, honesty and dishonesty.
In any case, the basis of the Imperial Way lies in truth, in
sincerity,
and in justice. Its range is wide and there is nothing it does not
embrace. It
expels evil, subjugates injustice, absolutely maintains the tenets of
justice,
and itself occupies a position which can never be violated. The August
virtue
of the divine imperial lineage has not a single instance when it did
not arise
from these three virtues. In other words, they form the national
character of
Nippon, and at the same time the national trait of the people of Nippon. Combining them all, we call it the Imperial Way.
The phrase "the three virtues of intelligence, love, and
courage" may sound very much like a common ethical teaching, but when
considered realistically, it gives us the reason why our country, under
whatever circumstances, has never resorted to arms for the sake of arms
alone.
Three Qualifications of the
Leader of Greater East Asia
Now that we have risen up in arms, we must accomplish our aim to the
last. Herein lies the core of our theory. In Nippon
resides a destiny to become the Light of Greater East Asia and to
become
ultimately the Light of the World. However, in order to become the
Light of
Greater East Asia, we must have three qualifications. The first is, as
mentioned previously, strength. In other words, we must expel
Anglo-Saxon influence
from East Asia with our strength.
To
speak the
truth, the various races of east Asia look upon the British and
Americans as
superior to the Nippon race. They
look upon Britain
and the United States
as more powerful nations than Nippon.
Therefore, we must show our real strength before all our fellow-races
of East Asia. We must show them an
object lesson. It is not
a lesson in words. It should be a lesson in facts.
In
other
words, before we can expel the Anglo-Saxons and make them remove
all their traces
from East Asia, we must annihilate
them. In
this way only will the various fellow-races of Greater East Asia look
upon us
as their leader. I believe that the lesson which we must first show to
our
fellow-races in Greater East Asia is this lesson of cold reality.
The second
qualification is benevolence. Nippon must develop the various resources
of East Asia and distribute them
fairly to all the races
within the East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere to make them share in the
benefits.
In other words, Nippon should not
monopolize
the benefits, but should distribute them for the mutual prosperity of
Greater
East Asia.
We
must show
to the races of East Asia that the order, tranquility, peace,
happiness, and
contentment of East Asia can be gained only by eradicating the evil
precedent
of the encroachment and extortion of the Anglo-Saxons in East Asia, by
effecting the real aim of the co-prosperity of East Asia, and making
Nippon the
leader of East Asia.
The third
qualification is virtue. East Asia
embraces
various races. Its religions are different. Moreover, there has
practically
been no occasion when these have mutually united to work for a combined
aim. It
was the favorite policy of the Anglo-Saxons to make the various races
of East Asia compete and fight each
other and make them
mutually small and powerless. We must, therefore, console them, bring
friendship among them, and make them all live in peace with a
boundlessly
embracing virtue.
In
short, the first is the Grace of the Sacred Sword, the second, the
Grace of the Sacred Mirror, and the third, the Grace of the Sacred
Jewels. If
we should express it in other words, we must have courage, knowledge
and
benevolence. If Nippon should lack
even one of
the above three, it will not be able to become the Light of Asia.
[IMTFE,
International Prosecution Section, document 24023, exhibit 1336
(Draft of
Basic Plan for Establishment of Greater East Asia
Co-Prosperity Sphere)]
Fron DeBarry p.808