military clique; military faction
Refers to a powerful group within the military that acts as a political force, often in historical contexts such as pre-WWII Japan or warlord-era China.
In the early Showa period, military cliques had strong influence over politics.
During China's warlord era, conflicts between military factions continued across the country.
Standard kanji spelling for this term.
Compound of 軍 (gun, 'military') and 閥 (batsu, 'clique, faction'). The term became common in the early 20th century to describe politically influential military groups.