Tatenokai
The Tatenokai ( Japanese 楯 の 会 , dt. "Shield Society") was a right-wing private militia in Japan , which had committed itself to the fight against communism , the preservation of traditional values and the protection or worship of the Tenno .
The group was founded on October 5, 1968 by writer Yukio Mishima . Its approximately 80 members were mainly recruited from the readership of the Ronsō Journal , a right-wing student newspaper. With the approval of Defense Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro, the Tatenokai was allowed to train with units of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and received financial support from Prime Minister Satō Eisaku . On November 25, 1970, five Tatenokai members, including Mishima, held the duty commander hostage at the Armed Forces Headquarters . The soldiers were called upon to occupy parliament and restore the old imperial rule . When the attempted coup failed, the leader Mishima and his close confidante Masakatsu Morita killed each other ritually ( Seppuku ).
There are a few private militias in Japan today that go by the name Tatenokai. However, these are not directly related to Yukio Mishima's Tatenokai.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima , BBC documentary , Great Britain 1985.