No, Asanuma was killed by pistol exactly because death by the sword is too honorable for a dirty communist like him.
Remember that we now knew that the Socialist purge of 1955 turned out to be under the direct order of Emperor Hirohito instead of Prime Minister Yamamoto (after Emperor Naruhito ordered the disclose of the notorious "Socialist Purges" in 2015). The leadership of the Socialist party who are not on Emperor Hirohito's "Shit List" was permitted to actually commit ritualized seppuku (they are only provided with paper fan and their deaths was due to the Headsmen). Inejiro Asanuma was singled up and executed by pistol shot to the neck because he was seen as the greatest traitor, undeserving even a honorable death.
Yeah, considering Japanese death penalty have several tiers, with beheading reserved for "honorable" criminals, shooting for "common" criminals, and lastly hanging for the lowest of the low, maybe in that case, Inejiro Asanuma might've been hanged instead.
The Socialists were none too popular in the 1950s, and it's almost hard to conceive just how deep the postwar Red Scare went in Japan. Demobilization lasted into the late 1940s, and transitioning to a peacetime economy wasn't as easy as the 1950s economic miracle made it appear. There were some real concerns that the radical Socialists would gain popularity, or the militarists would rise again.
The papers even blamed Yamamoto's predecessor, Terauchi the Younger*'s death on the stress of having to deal with them, on top of managing the budget- no mean feat with Lend-Lease payments, the massive redevelopment projects in Tokyo, and the completion of the
Shinkansen system between Tokyo and Osaka.
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*Field Marshal Marquess Hisaichi Terauchi, Prime Minister of Japan 1950-54, and leader of the New Constitutional Friendship Association party. Died of a heart attack, aged 75. Son of former Prime Minister Masatake Terauchi.
Those are not called Tanto? Still well those are even more expensive than a gun, an army knife is possible
Type 30 Bayonets were in plentiful supply, and not exactly hard to get a hold of. With a length of 21", 16" of which was blade, they handle more like a machete then a knife.
On the matter of expense, if guns were banned in Japan, we would be deprived of some of the artisan-crafted, limited edition rifles Arisaka releases every year. Traditionally crafted stocks in woods native to Japan, beautifully forged chrome-lined barrels, including their signature 30" length, and the beautifully smooth action and excellent sights they're renowned for. There would also be no market for 6.5×50mm Arisaka 38, 7.7×58mm Arisaka 99, or their companion 6.5×65mm 38-Magnum and 7.7×73mm 99-Magnum cartridges, a small but robust industry.