Ideological basis of the imperial japanese military forces

The article traces the formation of the ideological basis of the Imperial Japanese military forces from the 1850s to the 1940s. It was based on a synthesis of the elements of traditional Japanese culture (such as Shintoism, bushido, the cult of the divine emperor) and the ideas of nationalism, militarism, and territorial expansion. The author believes that it was the deep rootedness of the militaristic ideology in the traditional culture of Japan that ensured its strength and stability under difficult conditions of the wartime.