What is needed for Japan to have a imperial revival after WWII?

World War III: America and the Soviets nuke large chunks of the world and destroy any semblance of international order. Violence and War are seen as normal and nessicery for survival in the shattered world.

Yeah, the most/probably only likely scenario is WWIII with the Soviets. That could fuel a rightward shift amongst non-Communist nations. I can't imagine the Royal Family ever regaining the kind of power they had before they surrendered but they might end up with a little more real power than in OTL. Something along the lines of the Queen of England, but with tradition mostly restraining them from using it.
 
What about a U.S. that decides for a more removed occupation of Japan, the power behind the throne of the still divine emperor?

They work to increase imperial authority figuring it's easier to influence one person that try to remake an entire nation.
 
The US needs to be far more lax when it comes to Japanese occupation, I'm not sure how that would work, because as far as I know we went so far in the immediate postwar era that the Japanese nobility literally doesn't exist outside of their imperial family. All the Japanese princesses nowadays are abdicating because the only way to keep their title is to marry a nobleman, but there are literally no noblemen left.

Maybe Japan takes the Potsdam Declaration seriously and surrenders right then and there? Maybe the USSR joins the fighting in June or July, taking Hokkaido by August and putting more pressure on the US to be more careful in Japan? It's hard to say. Either way, I don't think it's possible to see a full imperial revival of Japan. The best you can hope for is a sort of ceremonial/symbolic thing, where many of Japan's current elites (many of whom have pre-WWII noble ties) have their positions somewhat formalized. After Pearl Harbor, Japan's fate is sealed, it's either going to be ruled by the US, Russia, or China for the next 150 years. None of those countries has any interest in a thriving imperial japan.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
There is any non ASB change for Japan to do that? Maybe the USA does not help to rebuild Japan in WWII for some PoD or Yukio Mishima coups succeds, is any of those things possible?

The basic is that Japan needs to scrap the 1947 constitution and replace it with the Meiji constitution, and to declare the results of the Tokyo trial null and void
Maybe this could work if the U.S. and the Soviet Union blow themselves up to smithereens in a nuclear war while Japan rearms and successfully builds nuclear weapons. However, even then, Japan would need to somehow have an extremely massive nationalistic swing.

Else, there's no way in Hell that this will occur.
 
What about a U.S. that decides for a more removed occupation of Japan, the power behind the throne of the still divine emperor?

They work to increase imperial authority figuring it's easier to influence one person that try to remake an entire nation.

If they did, then Hirohito would abdicate, as several members of the Imperial Family had requested of him. I don't believe it would take much to convince Hirohito to abdicate, convincing the American occupation officials seems to be the real challenge.

But would Akihiro or his regents really want to increase imperial authority, or would you merely have a much more public role for the Imperial family?

Maybe Japan takes the Potsdam Declaration seriously and surrenders right then and there? Maybe the USSR joins the fighting in June or July, taking Hokkaido by August and putting more pressure on the US to be more careful in Japan? It's hard to say. Either way, I don't think it's possible to see a full imperial revival of Japan. The best you can hope for is a sort of ceremonial/symbolic thing, where many of Japan's current elites (many of whom have pre-WWII noble ties) have their positions somewhat formalized. After Pearl Harbor, Japan's fate is sealed, it's either going to be ruled by the US, Russia, or China for the next 150 years. None of those countries has any interest in a thriving imperial japan.

The Soviets encountered huge difficulties invading the Kurils, and a significant portion of their shipping capacity was American. There's no way they could take Hokkaido in any reasonable timeframe.
 

trurle

Banned
Maybe this could work if the U.S. and the Soviet Union blow themselves up to smithereens in a nuclear war while Japan rearms and successfully builds nuclear weapons. However, even then, Japan would need to somehow have an extremely massive nationalistic swing.

Else, there's no way in Hell that this will occur.
Japanese ultra-nationalist were never defeated. See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nippon_Kaigi
The problem is what issue of nationalism is largerly decoupled from the question of monarchy/empire, contrary to popular opinion. IOTL, such decoupling become possible because of "ruling" of ill and handicapped Emperor Taisho in 1912-1926
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Taishō
His weakness allowed growth of ruling military/industrial elites which benefited from weak Emperor Showa later.
Avoid Emperor Taisho cerebral meningitis in 1912, and Japan may remain monarchic/imperial enough to return to imperial system of government as soon as heavy pressure from US is lifted. Anti-war clauses may be retained, but i understand the OP requires only imperial rule revival, not the revival of expansionism.
 
Meiji constitution is right out as others mentioned, but an imperial revival (reforming the 1947 constitution) is fairly possible methinks.
 
Yeah, the most/probably only likely scenario is WWIII with the Soviets. That could fuel a rightward shift amongst non-Communist nations. I can't imagine the Royal Family ever regaining the kind of power they had before they surrendered but they might end up with a little more real power than in OTL. Something along the lines of the Queen of England, but with tradition mostly restraining them from using it.

One of the (American) framers of the Constitution has mentioned that they never meant the Emperor to become completely powerless. The Monarchy of Britain seems to have been something they had in their mind, and it was also the preferred option for the Imperial House. It should be noted though that there is some speculation that Shôwa Emperor did privately influence some government decisions even during the post-war period. I think the most probable option would be to make the Emperor’s status as the head of state official instead of the current rather blurry way how Article 1 defines his role.

There were some people even outside Japan who did support the idea of Japan retaining some sort of modified Meiji Constitution instead of completely replacing it. Among Allies, British supported this option and in the US, Joseph Grey, the former Ambassador to Japan and Under Secretary of State until 1945, also shared this view. Grey, like most of Japan crowd in the government, was to large extent replaced by the China lobby after the war ended though. The end result we got was probably something between two extremes.

The US needs to be far more lax when it comes to Japanese occupation, I'm not sure how that would work, because as far as I know we went so far in the immediate postwar era that the Japanese nobility literally doesn't exist outside of their imperial family. All the Japanese princesses nowadays are abdicating because the only way to keep their title is to marry a nobleman, but there are literally no noblemen left.

Slowing down the Constitutional reform could work. A constitution which is adopted a year later would probably look rather different as the United States was already moving away from the most dramatic reform programs by then, a so-called "Reverse Course".

The Soviets encountered huge difficulties invading the Kurils, and a significant portion of their shipping capacity was American. There's no way they could take Hokkaido in any reasonable timeframe.

Truman had also told Stalin in no uncertain terms that the US wouldn't accept the USSR taking any part of Hokkaido. This actually seems to have had some effects on Soviet priorities when they planned their operations. Stalin seems to have been very wary with Americans at this stage. During the Kurils operations, the Red Army soldiers had orders to make always sure that there were no Americans on islands before they landed there.
 
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One of the (American) framers of the Constitution has mentioned that they never meant the Emperor to become completely powerless. The Monarchy of Britain seems to have been something they had in their mind, and it was also the preferred option for the Imperial House. It should be noted though that there is some speculation that Shôwa Emperor did privately influence some government decisions even during the post-war period. I think the most probable option would be to make the Emperor’s status as the head of state official instead of the current rather blurry way how Article 1 defines his role.
It may be the Americans didn't realize how little power emperors exercised. I think the centuries of the shoguns making them abdicate as soon as they were old enough to not need a regency, keeping them cooped up, etc had some effect. They were basically high priests, after all. I do wonder which of the mikados excercised the most authority during their lives, rather than being symbolic. An example would be for the Meiji constitution, which the emperor/mikado/heavenly sovereign took and passed along without even reading it. Well, that is an example from a book, at least. I imagine he read over it in advance.
 
It will not cause what the OP is asking Imperial Japan died in the 2nd world war a new Japan that has removed article nine and has signed mutual defense treaties with other countries still won't expansionist xenophobic unstable and somewhat racist Imperial Japan

I meant that as a first step. If US power waned the Japanese, in this scenario, would eventually regain the self confidence or cockiness needed for a revived imperialism.
 

missouribob

Banned
Something something early 60s nuclear war something something early 70s biological outbreak that Japan somehow survives?
 
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