Japanese Officers Attempt a Coup: The February 26 Incident
Young Japanese officers assassinated the Finance Minister in his bedroom. Shot the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Killed the Inspector-General of Military Education. They occupied central Tokyo with 1,400 troops for four days. Emperor Hirohito refused to meet them. Called them rebels. The military, which had tolerated coups before, crushed this one. Nineteen officers were executed. But the generals who stopped the coup used it to gain power themselves. Japan's slide toward militarism accelerated.
February 26, 1936
90 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 26
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