A critical term for a supposed ultranationalist, revisionist, imperialist ideology of Japan, analogous to “Ruscism.” Nihonism is characterised by: historical revisionism (denial or minimisation of war crimes in Nanking, “comfort women”, Unit 731), the
cult of the emperor and bushido as spiritual purity,
progressive remilitarisation under the name of “active defence,” unconditional military alliance with the US in the context of an
Asian NATO, and hostility toward neighbours (China, South Korea, North Korea). Critics argue that Nihonism is a
techno‑capitalist version of fascism: it combines keiretsu companies, veiled nationalism, and US military bases under the banner of “peaceful Japan,” while erasing wartime atrocities and promoting ethnic superiority. The term is used in progressive Japanese, Korean,
Chinese, and Global South circles to expose the continuity of imperial ideology.
Example: “At a
protest in Seoul, a sign
read: ‘Nihonism is Ruscism with cherry blossoms: the same falsified textbooks, the same visits to war
criminal shrines – only the emperor is not called tsar.’”
