HIST 142B Final Item Analysis1) KokutaiKokutai is the national politics, sovereignty, body, and essence of the Japanese people, but can also be thought of as the qualities that define a Japanese person. The term comes from Aizawa Seishisai's Shinron, which stated that the emperor was a god and that he was the leader of the Japanese people, who were descendants of the gods. During the Meiji period, some scholars such as Kato Hiroyuki advocated the separation of the government and the emperor. They argued that the kokutai should focus on the emperor while the government should be the one exercising legal authority. After the Meiji Restoration, the Constitution of the Empire of Japan essentially stated that kokutai was the basis of the Emperor's sovereignty over Japan, but that he governed with the consent of the Japanese Diet. Kokutai also helped the Japanese government mobilize war efforts. After the war ended, the Emperor admitted his humanity and kokutai lost its significance in society.2) The Three Popular Principles The Three Popular Principles were a political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen as part of his campaign to lead the China towards a democracy. His theory focused on nationalism, democracy and people's livelihood. The principle of nationalism focused on opposition to Manchu rule and foreign imperialism, and advocated the development of a Chinese nationalism to unite the major ethnic groups and a national consciousness to unite the Hans. Through democracy, Sun wanted elections and a Western constitutional government that represented people power. He believed that the power of politics should be vested in the National Assembly which represented the wishes of the people while the power of government incorporated Western institutions. People's livelihood focuses on social welfare and socialism in four areas: food, clothing, shelter and
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