I know that the possibility of a Communist revolution in Japan is essentially nil(...)
I know that the possibility of a Communist revolution in Japan is essentially nil, but who were some prominent Japanese communists from the interwar era who have any potential, no matter how small, to have lead the JCP? Specifically Trostkyists, but any in general.
It is true that probably the best chance of getting momentum behind a communist movement in Japan is during the interwar period of the late Taisho era. This was the period when the combination of a weak Emperor, the aging of the Meiji era's Genro elites, and the democratic ideological fervor following the end of World War I combined to allow a flourishing of political parties and popular control of the government. However, as others have said, communism was not very well-recieved by many Japanese due to its often antithetical interactions with traditional Japanese culture and values, as well as the (ironic) perception that the philosophy was itself another form of Western imperialism. Further, the communist, socialist, and labor movements in general suffered in their development from frequent suppression by the wealthy Zaibatsu industrialists.
Potentially, but the problem with the post-WWII scenario is that you have the U.S. actively working to contain the spread of communism. Despite the social/labor reforms during the occupation, socialist and communist inroads were curbed by the reverse-course that took place in the later part of the occupation. At least one very significant factor that contributed to the reverse-course was China's fall to communism in 1949. The only way the U.S. is going to allow much communist influence in Japan is if China remains squarely nationalist.Post war years would have been a better bet. "July Storm", instead of August Storm, or a delayed atomic bomb could set up a divided Japan.
Potentially, but the problem with the post-WWII scenario is that you have the U.S. actively working to contain the spread of communism. Despite the social/labor reforms during the occupation, socialist and communist inroads were curbed by the reverse-course that took place in the later part of the occupation. At least one very significant factor that contributed to the reverse-course was China's fall to communism in 1949. The only way the U.S. is going to allow much communist influence in Japan is if China remains squarely nationalist.
This is a possible occurrence, but with relations between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. already beginning to show strain, the U.S. would likely try its very best to secure the vast majority, if not the whole of, the Japanese islands as quickly as possible.Well, with a Soviet occupation of Eastern Japan, resulting from an earlier August storm or a delayed bomb, there's little the US could do, short of a direct confrontation.