Rethinking Japanese Taxation in the Wake of the Great War

In recent years, scholars have been reappraising the significance of the First World War as a watershed in Japan's modern history. Most research, however, has focused on the political and social consequences of the world conflict, leaving the economic dimension in the background. Although some excellent studies are now available on debt and monetary policy, new research is lacking with respect to another pillar of public finance, that of taxation. This chapter aims to contribute to a more rounded assessment of the Great War by discussing its long-lasting impact on Japan's tax system. At the same time, the analysis points out that the tax debates in the interwar period shed light on the strategic priorities of the main political actors on a broad range of national issues, all of which rose to prominence in the wake of the Great War.