Asahi Saitō's Coup

Between the 12th and 25th of July 1930, forces of the Imperial Army of Japan headed by Colonel Asahi Saitō marched on the Imperial Diet staging a Coup d'etat. The motives for the coup were due to the weak and indecisive nature of the Japanese parliament and a loss of power due to the forced disarmament of the Imperial Army following the Invasion of Manchuria the year prior.

Background
Following the end of the Great War, Japan was a part of the victorious Entente Powers. Claiming control of the German Pacific territories, the Japanese Empire was rocked by the Showa Economic Crisis of 1927 and the later Great Depression in 1929. Japan's economy faltered and the civilian government was forced to make concessions to foreign companies to alleviate the failing Yen. Furious at the concessions, the Imperial Army, in conjunction with Chinese warlords Zhang Xuoxiang and Meng Enyuan, and White Russians under the command of Vladimir Kislitsin, invaded the eastern portion of Manchuria to use Manchuria's mineral wealth to restore the Japanese economy. The invasion succeeded in driving out the dominant Fengtian Clique and weakening the hold of warlord Zhang Zuolin. In response to this act of aggression, the League of Nations applied economic sanctions on Japan, until Japan was forced to disarm vast amounts of the Imperial Army and Navy.