On August 28, 1945, Prime Minister Prince Higashikuni said at a press conference that "the military, officials and people, the entire nation, must reflect and repent thoroughly." The newspapers reported this under the headline "the repentance of the hundred million", and the phrase became a kind of buzzword. In practice it functioned as a way of repenting to the Emperor.
It's easy enough to predict the sneering reaction — a hundred million shattering like jewels until a moment ago, and now the repentance of the hundred million? — but in fact the Japanese had already done a total reflection of the hundred million during the war.
Gratitude to the imperial army and navy for the great victory they have won will take concrete form only through today's total reflection of the hundred million, undertaken for the sake of tomorrow's decisive battle in earnest.
*Genron Hokoku* 2(12), Dai Nippon Genron Hokokukai, Dai Nippon Genron Hokokukai, 1944 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
There is also a total-reflection-of-the-nation pattern.
For Japan to make a fresh start with a new creed and new thinking means, most clearly of all, returning to Japan's original form under a total reflection and total awakening of the nation.
*Keikoku* 8(4), Keikokusha, Zaisei Johosha, Keikokusha, 1941 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
This changes the way "the repentance of the hundred million" comes across, a little.
It is true that "total reflection of the hundred million" and "total reflection of the nation" are different from "the repentance of the hundred million", but to complicate things further, there is also "the reflection of the hundred million".
Why this national crisis?
Has the spiritual power of the divine land of Japan not yet found its occasion to manifest?
Is now not the hour for the reflection of the subjects, the hundred million?*The Reflection of the Subjects, the Hundred Million* (Shinmin ichioku no hansei), Nakamura Sadahiko, Seimei Shoin, 1940 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
There is a still more confusing phrase. During the war there were the National Mobilization Law and the National Spiritual Mobilization movement, but before those, someone had written that there should be a total repentance and total reflection of the nation.
Before the total mobilization of the nation, what is to be wished for is the total repentance and total reflection of the nation.
*Underground Water: Essays* (Chika no mizu: zuihitsu), Oyama Sumita, 1899-1994, Hiroshima Teishinkyoku Hiroshima Teiyukai, 1936 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
Among people who had read this passage, the possibility is not exactly zero that some lunatic misunderstood the whole thing: the repentance of the hundred million! So it means reflect before the total national mobilization!! Let's do it, America will never be forgiven!!!
Incidentally, "total-" was a heavily used prefix too, and it was basically used when someone wanted you to buckle down.
The people of Japan must add still more, and more, to the greatness of their fatherland Japan. Otherwise we will be reproached for sitting idle and eating up the inheritance of our fathers, elder brothers and ancestors. From this arises the need for the total awakening and total effort of the total people of Japan.
*A Book of Patriotism: The Hour for Planting the Imperial Way Has Come* (Aikoku no sho: Kodo fushoku no toki itaru), Miura Kosaku, Miura Kosaku, 1938 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
For the sake of "total amity", we first require "total awakening" and "total struggle".
*Renewing the Nation's Resolve on Meeting the 2,600th Year of the Imperial Era* (Koki nisen roppyakunen o mukae kokumin no kakugo o arata ni su), Ishii Saburo, 1880-1948, Kodo Gikai Honbu Shuppanbu, 1940 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
I have no idea what "the total awakening and total effort of the total people of Japan" is supposed to mean, but doing a "total awakening" and a "total struggle" in order to realize "total amity" is stiflingly overheated and about as bad as it gets. "Total amity" was a phrase popularized by the Shuyodan, and the Shuyodan means sweat-drenched discipline and love among brethren, but it went through various fads at various times, and there was a period when "total amity" was used a great deal.
△The Shuyodan is a covenant of comrades in every region who seek to build a bright world.
It is a body that seeks to promote the fine custom of total amity and to ferment the good practice of total effort; it is the vanguard of an ethical movement proclaiming mutual love and discipline.*A Modern Peerless Hizakurige: A Revolt Against Civilization* (Kindai murui hizakurige: bunmei hangyaku), Ohara Ken, reporter, Kindai Murui Hizakurige Kankokai, 1923 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
The Shuyodan that Hasunuma Monzo founded had originally been a student circle for cleaning the dormitory, but Hasunuma had far too much charisma, and by the time of the defeat it had 6.2 million members. In other words "total amity" was an extremely mainstream phrase. So among people who had gone on hearing words like this since wartime, there is a good chance that some responded with something like, "the repentance of the hundred million? Ah, we had a lot of that during the war too, lol."
Incidentally, "total repentance" runs on the logic that since we lost the war because of "the decline of national morality", everyone should reflect. But "the decline of national morality" existed during the war as well.
That under these wartime conditions there should be a visible tendency toward slackening in national morality is truly a matter of the deepest regret.
*Canon of Imperial-Subject Etiquette* (Komin reiho seiten), Kokumin Reiho Shinkokai, Gunji Kyoikusha, 1942 National Diet Library Digital Collections ↗
The man writing this is Shirai Kyoji, which makes you want to ask Kyoji what on earth he thinks he's doing, but that is how often "the decline of national morality" got said during the war. That said, while Kyoji writing something this ridiculous is hilarious, his novels are ridiculously good and you should read them — except there don't seem to be many available new. I'd suggest hunting them down at a used bookshop.
Be that as it may, there is a strange story on record concerning "the decline of national morality". Apparently, at the disarmament after the imperial rescript of defeat was heard, some deranged supreme commander gave an address: "You have discharged your loyal service without the slightest failing, and yet we have suffered this humiliation of defeat because the spirit of the people on the home front was rotten. If it galls you, then even after you return home do not forget the soldier's spirit; become leaders and beat the people's spirit back into shape."
When the men who had heard this "crazed address" were demobilized and got home, their houses had been burned down and were gone, their parents and siblings were scattered, and the military bureaucrats were hoarding war materiel. The people, too, were absorbed in black-market dealing. Exactly as the deranged supreme commander's address had said, the returning soldiers found themselves witnessing "the decline of national morality".
At which, so the story goes, some of them became convinced — "I see, the people's spirit is rotten. That is why we lost." "If not for this, there was no way we could have failed to win." "A war we should have won, we lost pointlessly because the people's cooperation was insufficient." "Right, then we'll do it on our own. And we'll wait for our time to come." — and developed an abnormal hostility toward the enemy.
*A New Theory of Patriotism* (Shin aikokuron) -- Bunri Shoin, 1947 (https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1039407/1/63)
What actually lay behind this story isn't clear, but as you can see, wartime and postwar are connected pretty strongly. So it is only natural that there were people who took the repentance of the hundred million as "oh, this again lol"; it does not go, right! It's the defeat now!! So everything changes as of now!!!
There is one thing about this whole business that took me aback. I had originally assumed that "the repentance of the hundred million" was something squeezed out after a fair amount of thought. In fact there was an unexpectedly slapdash air about it — "hundred million" and "total-" are familiar enough, so how about we stick "repentance" on the end? — and my reaction is: think about it a bit more seriously.