Japan required an army officer to serve as army minister and a naval officer to serve as navy minister. If either service refused to provide one, the cabinet could not function and fell. The arrangement was manageable while prime ministers possessed enough personal authority to frighten the service chiefs into cooperation. Once premiers weakened, the rule gave the army and navy a powerful veto over civilian government and helps explain Japan's chronic cabinet instability.
Notable Point · 1:09:43-1:10:25
How the armed services could bring down a Japanese cabinet
The requirement for army and navy officers as service ministers gave each armed service an effective veto over civilian government.