Formation of the Black Dragon Society
The Black Dragon Society, or Kokuryukai, was also dedicated to the expulsion of Russian influence in Manchuria, which had been taken over by imperial Russia in 1898. This new Society was the result of the Black Ocean Society’s high visibility following its alleged involvement in the assassination of Queen Min of Korea in 1895. Senior members of the Black Ocean Society, or Genyosha, felt that their organization was becoming too visible to Western eyes, and the new Society was formed.
Expansion of the Black Dragon Society
The Black Dragon Society’s activities expanded from collection against Manchuria and Russia, to include the Philippines, Malaya, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Afghanistan, Turkey, Ethiopia, Morocco, the United States, and numerous Caribbean and South American nations.
Initially, the Society’s members were primarily unemployed samurai—left without work following the restoration of the authority of the Emperor—but membership eventually included Cabinet Ministers, high-ranking Army officers, and hired killers. By 1944, its membership totaled an estimated 10,000, according to Richard Deacon, author of Kempei Tai: A History of the Japanese Secret Service.
Russian Language and the Black Dragon Society
From its founding in 1901, the Black Dragon Society showed significant forethought by sponsoring a special college for the study of Russian, a move that preceded the Russo-Japanese War. Ryohei Uchida, founder of the Black Dragon Society, studied Russian while attending Toyogo University in 1895 and traveled to Siberia in 1897.
Individuals with Russian language abilities now strengthened Japanese intelligence. In the January 20, 1956, edition of the magazine of the Japan Police Society, the article, “Introduction to Thought Police,” states that the Black Dragon Society was “active behind the scenes, particularly in the Russo-Japanese War.”
Disinformation Campaign
While intelligence collection in Manchuria continued, Japan launched a disinformation campaign with false reports on Russian military strength in the region. British General Sir Ian Hamilton, who was attached to the Japanese First Army as an observer, wrote in his A Staff Officer’s Scrap-Book, “The Japanese realized the weakness of Russia much better than any American or European observers. The British believed that Russia was in Manchuria to stay. Japan weighed the evidence—superior intelligence—and came to a precisely contrary conclusion.”
References:
Richard Deacon, Kempei Tai: A History of the Japanese Secret Service. New York: Beaufort Books, Inc., 1983.
For a look at Japanese intelligence preceding the Black Dragon Society, including the activities of the Black Ocean Society, read "Japanese Intelligence: Origins of Japan's Espionage Activities."
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