Guess not everything was full on propaganda.
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Hardcore doesn’t begin to describe Japan, WWII and pearl harbor was a real wake up call for the allies and later with the kamikaze pilots how fanatical and dedicated they were. Sadly pearl harbor could have been better prepared, both the Americans (Navy intelligence) and Brits had broken the code (jn25) and had good evidence that pearl harbor was going to be the target of a large attack, but both failed to take action as I learnt in Secrets Of WWII - Okinawa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdgTLoZAZOI
I’m about halfway through the video you linked, I love periscope film stuff because you get to see what they thought at the time.
(edit) I finished it and I’m glad I watched it and probably for the best the US didn’t need to do Operation Downfall ergo the invasion of Japan itself (albeit at the cost of being hit by nuclear bombs twice) it probably saved a lot of attrition on both sides (especially looking at Okinawa the fighting was getting quite costly).
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I watched this video and wanted to comment as a Japanese.
On the parts about prewar Japan, I think it’s broadly accurate.On military training from childhood: retired soldiers called zaigo gunjin would come to schools and train the students. There was a practical benefit for civilians — military service could be shortened by one year — so many students took it. A lot of Japanese people, including my grandfather, found the abusive customs of the Japanese military more terrifying than death itself.
On the line that “the military was seen as more on the people’s side than the politicians, and also as a means of social advancement”: that’s extremely accurate. Before the war, aristocratic and upper-class groups from domains like Satsuma and Choshu were at the center of society. Poor regions, especially Tohoku, were in such hardship that human trafficking even occurred. That the military was almost the only way for the lower classes to rise is something we even learn in Japanese high school. There were many officers from Tohoku, such as Yonai Mitsumasa and Ishiwara Kanji.
The rivalry between the Army and Navy is also accurate. That kind of sectionalism still exists in some non-military settings even today.
The explanation of bushido and loyalty is a bit stereotypical. Ordinary people probably did have a simple sense of duty that they were fighting in the name of the Okami (the Emperor), under the imperial seal. But most Japanese people’s ancestors were farmers. I doubt they were thinking of themselves as fighting as samurai. My grandfather never said anything like that either.
On readiness for death, there is a lot I can understand. Before departing for war, it was common for parents and children to exchange a cup of water. What that meant was: “we are prepared never to see each other again.” So yes, there was a readiness to die. But from the many stories I’ve heard from people who actually experienced the war, it was less a samurai-style sense of mission and more a kind of resignation: “I am going to war by order of the Okami (the Emperor). I’ll probably die. Before that, I’ll take down a few American soldiers.”
I doubt anything can beat it.
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Remember guys, the Japanese were super honorable fighters.
Heil Hirohito! Or was it… for the emperor!
(I’m not being influenced by moderation to make this message)
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Why I thought it was an interesting video. I think the very reason it was considered “classified” is because it praises the Japanese dedication to martial prowess. That is a centuries of isolation and rigid social control. Americans just are not like that. I also thought it was interesting about the sword culture. Germans were big into it also.