The Bottleneck in the Formation of “Imperial Japan” under the International Cooperation Principle after WWI: Focusing on the Tanaka Giichi Cabinet’s Concept of Establishment of the Takumushō

Abstract

A new ministry for dealing with colonial affairs called the Takumu Ministry, or Takumushō was established in June 1929 by the Tanaka Giichi Cabinet, a political party cabinet in prewar Japan. This Ministry has received no small amount of attention in previous studies because it was envisioned not only as an attempt to consolidate colonial administration, but also as a threat to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, while the process by which the original plan was undermined by the opposition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been examined in detail, it is not clear why the Tanaka Cabinet sought to fundamentally reform not only the colonial administrative structure but also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ structure. By also focusing on consuls stationed in neighboring colonial areas (South Seas and Manchuria) after World War I, this paper clarifies the problem pre-war Japan faced in its overseas administration. This was a contradiction with the international cooperation principle faced by the Tanaka Cabinet, which sought to establish “Imperial Japan” in its fullest form under the development of party politics. In other words, reexamining the concept of establishing the Takumushō will clarify the contradictions between pre-war Japan’s colonial administrative policies and its international relations, and point out the limitations of the party cabinet system in resolving these issues.