[1] The Shōwa Kenkyūkai was established in October 1930 as an informal organization led by Ryūnosuke Gotō, with the original intent of reviewing and assessing issues with the Meiji Constitution and the current political process.
It included noted scholars, journalists, bankers, socialists, militarists, businessmen and leaders of youth organizations.
[3] The Shōwa Kenkyūkai was a strong proponent of Pan-Asianism, in which it envisioned that Japan would take the leading role, and its thesis influenced Konoe in his New Order in East Asia declaration of November 1938, and formed part of the theoretical basis for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
[4] Politically, the Shōwa Kenkyūkai decided that liberal democracy was obsolete, and that the Diet of Japan should be replaced with a corporativist national assembly where membership would be based on occupation, and which would direct a state socialist command economy.
[8] Some members also promoted the future political integration of Japan and China, and envisioned a unified economic block that would cover all of Asia.