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Interpreting the Meiji Constitution: Democracy and Militarism

  • Emperor Meiji maintained considerable power in the constitution. (© Jiji)

    Emperor Meiji maintained considerable power in the constitution. (© Jiji)

  • An image of the ceremony for promulgating the Meiji Constitution on February 11, 1889. (© Kyōdō)

    An image of the ceremony for promulgating the Meiji Constitution on February 11, 1889. (© Kyōdō)

  • Minobe Tatsukichi discusses the Constitution in his own home after the end of World War II on January 23, 1946. (© Kyōdō)

    Minobe Tatsukichi discusses the Constitution in his own home after the end of World War II on January 23, 1946. (© Kyōdō)

  • Hamaguchi Osachi’s appearance led to his nickname as the “lion prime minister.” (© Jiji)

    Hamaguchi Osachi’s appearance led to his nickname as the “lion prime minister.” (© Jiji)

  • A plaque marks the spot where Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi was shot at Tokyo Station. (© Jiji)

    A plaque marks the spot where Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi was shot at Tokyo Station. (© Jiji)

  • The Sannō Hotel in Minato, Tokyo, which closed for business on October 5, 1983. Established in 1932, it became the headquarters from which radicals plotted a coup in the February 26 Incident of 1936. In the postwar era, it was used as a US military facility. (© Jiji)

    The Sannō Hotel in Minato, Tokyo, which closed for business on October 5, 1983. Established in 1932, it became the headquarters from which radicals plotted a coup in the February 26 Incident of 1936. In the postwar era, it was used as a US military facility. (© Jiji)

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