Military Politics

Army vs Navy Schism

Inter-service rivalries exist in every military, but Japan puts them all to shame. The army and navy divide is nothing short of a disfunctional political rivalry. The army and navy both scramble for limited budget, with the Navy often getting the sweeter share. Seperate strategies are usually made without consulting or cooperating between branches. The army generally wishing to expand into Russia's eastern territories, and the Navy wanting to expand into the European colonial holdings in south-east Asia. It might even be said the two are enemies who work against eachother even more than they work with.

Toseiha vs Kodoha

Within the Army are two political factions. Both would be considered largely anti-liberal however. The Toseiha faction is the more moderate of the two, moderate being a relative term. The leader of the Toseiha was Tetsuzan Nagata, who was assassinated in the Aizawa incident by a kodoha member. Toseiha favors modernization off the army and conservative exapnsionism. Kodoha on the otherhand is generally more extremist. Led by Sadao Araki, Kodoha seeks agressive expansion and a focus more on the bushido spirit of the soldiers over technological modernization.