英文摘要 |
The so-called “tenkō” (ideological or thought conversion) phenomenon which formed in wartime Japan (1931-1945) refers to how left-wing intellectuals were compelled to shift their anti-nationalist stance towards “Tennō (Emperor)-statism,” the driving force of which mainly originated of the national polity, or “kokutai.” During the early Shōwa period, following the rise of right-wing influence, the government attempted to safeguard “kokutai” by suppressing left-wing intellectuals who were striving to alter it. These intellectuals were deemed “shisō han” (thought criminals), and swayed by the power of the state authorities, shifted their attitudes to embrace “Tennō kokutai.” The aim of this study is to explore the formation of “tenkō,” which was enforced by the Japanese government during wartime, by analyzing the statement “A Letter to Our Fellow Defendants” by Sano Manabu (1892-1953) and Nabeyama Sadachika (1901-1979), two prominent communist intellectuals. This paper shall elucidate how these two leftists integrated their ideologies of communism into the “kokutai” following “tenkō,” thus becoming pro-war nationalists or even “collaborators.” |