My take would be they were wannabee samurai with the suicidal ideations that implies.
They managed to get the Japanese constitution revised (in the 1930s) with what seemed to be a very sensible codicil. "The Army and Navy representatives to the Imperial Cabinet will be active duty officers."
The catch is the two organizations could send their man to a different job if they wanted to. That would bring the current cabinet down. So any cabinet was hostage to the approval of the Army and/or Navy.
They managed to get the Japanese constitution revised (in the 1930s) with what seemed to be a very sensible codicil. "The Army and Navy representatives to the Imperial Cabinet will be active duty officers."
The catch is the two organizations could send their man to a different job if they wanted to. That would bring the current cabinet down. So any cabinet was hostage to the approval of the Army and/or Navy.
