TheYūzonsha (猶存社; Society of Those Who Yet Remain) was a radicalJapanese nationalistpan-Asianist organization founded in August 1919.[1] The group arose from a pre-existing debate society, theRōsōkai (Old and Young Society), which was founded in October 1918 byMitsukawa Kametarō [jp], editor ofDai Nihon (Greater Japan).[1] Though the Rōsōkai was not explicitlypan-Asianist, or indeed political in its focus, its membership included many leading pan-Asianists and political commentators.
Dissatisfied with the overly non-political nature of the Rōsōkai,Ōkawa Shūmei and Mitsukawa Kametarō elected to form the Yūzonsha on 8 August 1919.[2] This organization had a clear pan-Asianist reformist agenda, and included prominent members such asKanokogi Kazunobu,Nunami Takeo,Kasagi Yoshiaki,Shimonaka Yasaburō,Kanauchi Ryōsuke,Ayakawa Takeji,Yasuoka Masahiro,Shimizu Kōnosuke,Iwata Fumio andNishida Mitsugi.
Mitsukawa and Ōkawa asked the radical pan-AsianistKita Ikki, author of the quasi-totalitarianKokka Kaizō Hōan Daikō (A Plan for National Reconstruction), to provide ideological leadership.[2] Though he agreed to do so, moving to the organization's headquarters, he largely remained aloof from the organization; which did take on some of his ideology and was involved in illegally circulating copies of his banned work.
The organization launched a monthly journal,Otakebi (War Cry) in August 1920, but published only three issues before ceasing publication; equally unsuccessful were its attempts to publish books, and only a few pamphlets were produced.[3]
Yūzonsha advocatedEsperanto, rather thanJapanese, as the language of the Pan-Asian unit. The leaders of the organization argued that making Esperanto the lingua franca would greatly facilitate achieving unity among the peoples of Asia.[4]
It was involved in a couple of political campaigns, notably a successful one to prevent the annulment ofHirohito's engagement to PrincessKuni Nagako, and an unsuccessful campaign to prevent his 1921 tour of Europe.[5][3] The group eventually dissolved in 1923, alongside the Rōsōkai after disagreements between Kita and Ōkawa, particularly overRusso-Japanese relations.[3]