In the second half of WWII Japanese leaders started increasingly expressing fears of internal disloyalty. Some feared that a "Japanese Badoglio" could take over and surrender to the Allies as occurred in Italy. Even more painted dark scenarios by 1945 of a popular internal uprising overthrowing the Emperor and imposing Communism if the war were not ended soon.
Were these views by Japanese politicians, officers and aristocrats baseless nightmares or not?
If these were baseless fears and their people would have been obedient unto death, how could the Japanese leaders have gotten their perceptions of their people so wrong?
Were these views by Japanese politicians, officers and aristocrats baseless nightmares or not?
If these were baseless fears and their people would have been obedient unto death, how could the Japanese leaders have gotten their perceptions of their people so wrong?