Ohiocore

America has no monopoly on militant nationalism. As though to reinforce the principle "whatever USA can produce, Japan can produce better", the Legislature in Tokyo has reconstituted a National Holiday to honor WWII Emperor Hirohito:

A House of Representatives committee on Friday approved a bill to rename April 29, which is now Greenery Day, as Showa Day to mark the birthday of Emperor Hirohito... known as Emperor Showa... in 1989 following his death.

The socialists at WSWS have a remakably thorough account of the bill and its historical context. (Unlike American political landscape, various socialist parties have minority representation in the Japanese Parliament.) Among the details reported:

• The actual vote tally: 202 for, 14 against.

A struggle over terminology:

• Showa: "enlightened peace," specifically "the title given to the period of Hirohito’s reign from 1926."
  
• Tenchosetsu: "Until 1945, April 29 was called Tenchosetsu—the day to pray for the long life of the emperor. Hirohito’s birthday only continued to be observed following the World War due to the actions of US imperialism... The American occupation authority exempted Hirohito from charges of war crimes and left the emperor in place as the symbolic head of state." To be clear, this word is NOT Tenchusatsu, meaning "divine strike from the heavens".
• Midori no hi: Greenery Day.
• Kokumin no kyujitsu: Between Day, a holiday so named because it's only virtue is that it falls between two other national holidays.
  

Although the role of the emperor as a nexus for government, national pride, religion, tradition, stability and culture is clearly central to Japanese identity, this holiday is not so refined. It is a Hirohito holiday, on his birthday. For once, a hypothetical involving Hitler is actually warranted: would Germany today ever consider a "3rd Reich" Holiday? I'd guess no.

In the shuffle, "Greenery Day" replaces "Between Day", and Showa Day now kicks off the string of 4 national holidays known as "Golden Week," one of the 3 major holiday seasons in Japan.

The construction of clever Golden Showa references is left as an exercise to the reader.