Examining the Ministry of Education's policy orientation in publishing Kokutai no Hongi in opposition to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Showa ishin movement

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01459
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 06010:Politics-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto Sangyo University
• Principal Investigator: UEMURA KAZUHIDE 京都産業大学, 法学部, 教授 (10247778)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 國體の本義 / 文部省 / 教学刷新評議会 / 国内思想戦

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Kokutai no Hongi (Cardinal Principles of the National Entity of Japan) was edited and published by the Ministry of Education in 1937. In this book, the Ministry critiqued the ideologies of foreign worship as well as xenophobia in congruence with the 1936 report of the Council for Education Renewal. Bureaucrats at that time also asserted their opposition to Marxism and requested a review of Japanese statism by publishing this text to elucidate the Kokutai. The ambitious stance of this volume was reflected in the assertive tone of its title, which denoted “the true meaning of Kokutai” but did not reflect the humbler tenor of “a commentary on the true meaning of Kokutai.” This attitude could be inferred as the Ministry of Education’s intent to take the initiative of interpreting the Kokutai ideology against rivals such as the Ministry of Home Affairs or the activists of the Showa ishin movement.

Free Research Field

政治思想史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

文部省刊行の『國體の本義』は、昭和戦前期の政治思想史上の重要な出版物として意味を持つものであると同時に、官庁の事業として政策的意義を持ち、当時の政治過程における独特の文脈的意義を持つものである。本研究は、その政策的・文脈的意義の解明に取り組むとともに、思想内容の曖昧さにも注目し、昭和１０年代日本の國體論を政治思想と政治過程の両面から把握しようとする所に学術的意義を有する。この昭和１０年代は、国家主義的な思想の流行と政治権力の強大化とが同時に進行した時期でもある。本研究の社会的意義は、この時期の日本への理解を深めることに、ささやかながらも貢献しうる所にある。