Over the course of the Pacific War, the Empire of Japan and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere occupied territories across half the world.
The flag of the Rising Sun was flown across the northernmost reaches of Siberia all the
way to India, China, the Dutch East Indies, Australia, Chile, the Pacific States of America,
and everywhere in-between.
With the surrender of the allied nations, the last elements of resistance in these territories
were crushed by the Imperial Japanese Army, but to maintain control and consolidate their
conquered peoples under Imperial rule, the Empire turned to the Kempeitai.
Roughly analogous to the military police utilized by the former Western Powers, the Kempeitai
was first established in 1881.
While initially modeled on the National Gendarmerie of France, its military, executive, judicial,
and police functions were continually amended and broadened as the Empire pursued expansionist
policies.
It’s role became clear in 1907 with the occupation and later annexation of Korea,
in which Kempeitai forces assisted in preserving the peace and suppressing anti-Japanese sentiment.
During the border skirmishes of the 1920s and 30s, in which many foreign territories
fell under Japanese military occupation, the Kempeitai began recruiting a large number
of locals to serve as auxiliaries.
By the height of the Second World War, it had expanded to tens of thousands of officers
stationed across the Empire.
Kempeitai agents formed valuable connections with the German Abwehr and Italian Servizio
Informazioni Militare.
Mutual points of contact such as the Penang Submarine base in former British Malaya allowed
for technological and information exchanges.
With the capitulation of the allies, the Kempeitai expanded or established headquarters and field
offices across the whole of the Prosperity Sphere.
Their officers and agents became responsible for issuing travel permits, recruiting members
of the local populace for labor or axillary duty, handling counter-intelligence services,
and anti-ideological work.
The Kempeitai have become especially critical in the Japanese Pacific States, where resentment
and resistance towards the Japanese backed government still lingers.
The Neutral Zone, separating the Pacific States from the Greater Germanic Reich, has become
a hotbed of criminal activity and the greatest criminal syndicates of the Yakuza have quickly
expanded their operations across the Americas.
Occasional crackdowns have led to gunfights in the streets of San Francisco and elsewhere
between the Kempeitai and various syndicates.
Organized armed resistance, while largely subdued since the end of the war, is not
unknown and occasional raids are made against those who would harbor enemies of the state
or suspected insurrectionists.
It is not uncommon for targeted individuals to be taken from their homes in the night.
Kempeitai methods, while brutal, are especially effective.
An assassination attempt on the life of the Crown Prince has proven the continued need
for vigilance while a recent bombing of the Kempeitai’s headquarters in the Nippon Building
within San Francisco suggests that anti-Japanese elements are better equipped than previously
believed.
The Empire of Japan cannot afford any sign of weakness.
The death of Hitler has shattered any guarantees of peace and the Greater Germanic Reich cannot
be trusted to be content with only half the world.
Internal unrest can not be allowed to be persist, and the success of the Kempeitai might decide
the fate of the Empire.
Thanks to Lee Shorten for providing the narration for today’s episode.
Lee plays Sergeant Yoshida of the Kempeitai on The Man In The High Castle, which will
be returning for its third season on October 5th.
You can also watch him play Rebel General Ikari on September 2nd when the fan film “Bucketheads
- A Star Wars Story” premieres at DragonCon in Atlanta.
A link to the trailer and his Twitter profile are in the description.
Speaking of DragonCon, both Marc and myself will be heading down to Atlanta to meet with
our friends Star Wars Explained and Spacedock, and we may be organizing a fan meetup while
we’re there.
Follow us on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with the details.