Ito Hirobumi Not Assassinated

[Marius Mazzini]

A common divergence point in Korean alternate history is if Ahn Jung-Geun had failed to assassinate Ito Hirobumi at Harbin in 1909, usually resulting in a Japanese Empire that remained aligned with the Anglo-American powers and survives to the present. What would the actual effects of his survival be? Would his continued presence in anyway have strengthened Taisho-era democracy and prevent the growing power of the militarist clique?

 

[Phalamus]

I don't think a single man can do that much of a difference, and Ito was already beggining to acquiesce to the militarists in the later years of his life. Stopping the rise of militarism in Japan is possible, in my opinion, but would take a more radical change than that. I don't even think it can be done with a single PoD.