History of The Kempeitai
The Kempeitai was formed as a semi-autonomous unit on 4 January 1881 by order of the Meiji Council of State. Its brief covered military discipline, law and order, intelligence and subversion, as well as policing thoughts in the civilian population.
Their political influence increased when Hideki Tojo became the Vice-Minister of War in the 1930s. From 1895 to 1945, the Kempeitai built up a large network of influence in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, which refers to Japanese-occupied territories in Asia during World War II. All prisoners-of-war (POW) and POW camps came under the control of the Kempeitai, as did 'comfort women' and comfort houses.
Read more about this topic: Kempeitai East District Branch
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