Final answer:
The second villain identified in political explanations for Japan's crisis during the 1990s is the militaristic politicians and military factions within Japan that rose to power in the 1930s.
Step-by-step explanation:
Political explanations of Japan's crisis during the 1990s identified the long-entrenched Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as one protagonist in the country's challenges. The other identified villain is Japan's militaristic politicians and factions within the military, who took control in the 1930s. These elements of the military were fiercely supportive of a capitalist economy and were staunchly anti-Communist, aligning ideologically with Fascism and National Socialism during that era. They sought to protect Japan from the perceived threats of Communism emanating from the Soviet Union and China, leading to Japan signing the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany in 1936 and with Italy in 1937, thus laying the foundation for the Axis powers.