What, ultimately, is a member of parliament for—and what, precisely, are they meant to do?

Takao Saito (1870-1949) was a long‑serving prewar member of the Imperial Diet who openly resisted the military’s tightening grip on politics. He delivered his so‑called “anti‑military speech” during a plenary session of the Lower House on Feb. 2, 1940—exactly 86 years ago today.

It was the year before Japan plunged into war with the United States.

Saito confronted the government with a searing question: Why is Japan fighting China? And why does the government refuse to explain the purpose of the war while demanding immense sacrifices from its citizens?

The military reacted with........

© The Asahi Shimbun