On Eugenic Policy and the Movement of the National Temperance League in Prewar Japan

Abstract

This paper examines how the temperance movement in prewar Japan interacted with the contemporary eugenics movement mainly based on the Japanese Temperance Union (the successor of the National Temperance League of Japan) archives. Since the 1920s, in the media of the National Temperance League of Japan (NTLJ), many eugenicists wrote articles and made various attempts to introduce eugenics to the Japanese population. The NTLJ recognized that the debate over the National Eugenic Law was a golden opportunity to insert their doctrines. On the other hand, alcohol industry supporters among the members of the Imperial Diet tried to blunt the efforts of the temperance supporters. The attempt of the NTLJ to insert their doctrines into the National Eugenic Law failed, and the government did not adopt the NTLJ's recommendation to establish a national organization to ameliorate the effects of drinking. However, the NTLJ deepened its interest in eugenic policies, and the eugenic policy planners approached the NTLJ and the temperance movement after the passing of the National Eugenic Law in March 1940 to cooperate in wartime temperance activities. In short, this paper clarifies the complementary relationship between the temperance movement and eugenic policies in prewar Japan.