Nakano Seigō (中野正剛) (1886-October 1943) was a Japanese political leader who advocated a fascist Japan to complete the Meiji Restoration.
Nakano sought to bring about a rebirth of Japan through a blend of the Samurai ethic, Neo-Confucianism, and populist nationalism modeled on European fascism. He saw Saigo Takamori as epitomizing the 'true spirit' of the Meiji ishin, and the task of modern Japan to recapture it.
Nakano formed the Kokumin Domei (National Alliance) with Adachi Kenzo in December of 1932. He left this group with a splinter group to form the Tohokai (Far East Society, see their flag here) in May of 1936.
In December of 1937, Nakano had a personal audience with Benito Mussolini. In the next month, he met with Adolf Hitler and Joachim Ribbentrop.
In January of 1939, Nakano gave a speech on the need for a Totalitarian Japan. He argued against those who "say that neither Fascism nor Nazism are appropriate for our nation." He then distinguished between old-style, conservative, despotism, and a "Totalitarianism... based on essentials." Arguing against majority rule (as the majority "is the precise cause of contemporary decadence") and "an individualism which shows no concern for others", he calls for a "government going beyond democracy" giving consideration to "the essence of human beings." With organic unification of individuals "sharing common ideals and a common way of feeling," there can be formed "a perfect national organization."
Verbally critical of the Tojo regime, Nakano was forbidden to publish articles or make public speeches. He committed seppuku in October of 1943 after being placed under house arrest.
References
- Fascism (Oxford Readers) by Roger Griffin (Part III, B., iv. Japan), 1995, ISBN 0192892495
- Populist Nationalism in Pre-War Japan: A Biography of Nakano Seigo by Leslie Russel Oates, 1985, ISBN 0868611115 description
- "Nakano Seigo and the Spirit of the Meiji Restoration in Twentieth-Century Japan" by T. Najita in Dilemmas of Growth in Prewar Japan edited by James William Morley, ISBN 69103074X
