Kantaro Suzuki and Unconditional Surrender
The elderly Kantaro Suzuki served as prime minister for the spring and summer of 1945, hoping to guide the nation through the final disastrous stages of the Pacific War.
Category Archives: Politics
Kuniaki Koiso and the Inescapable Slide Toward Defeat
Imperial Army officer Kuniaki Koiso became prime minister well after Japan’s position in the Pacific War had already become hopeless. It took him months to reach this understanding personally, and when he ultimately came to realize that his own ability to command the situation was also close to zero, he stepped down.
Hideki Tojo and the Option for Total War
Imperial Army leader Hideki Tojo commanded the nation from 1941-1944. Once he decided to launch a total war against the Anglo-American Powers in December 1941, his own authority was tied to the success or failure on the battlefield.
Fumimaro Konoe and the Southern Advance
When Fumimaro Konoe returned to the premiership in mid-1940, he launched a bolder package of policy initiatives, including the declaration of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and the creation of a one-party state.
Mitsumasa Yonai and the Fading Prospects for Peace
In early 1940, moderate Navy Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai was selected by Emperor Hirohito in a final effort to head off military conflict with the Anglo-American powers. However, Nazi Germany’s rapid defeat of France soon undermined Yonai’s authority by convincing Japanese militarists that the nation was losing a historic opportunity for changing the international order.
Nobuyuki Abe and the European Conflict
For a short period in 1939-1940, little-known Imperial Army General Nobuyuki Abe took over leadership of the nation just as World War II broke out in Europe. Abe kept Japan out of the war but was unable to establish a firm political foundation for his government.
Kiichiro Hiranuma and the Three Foreign Policy Shocks
In 1939, rightwing ideologue Kiichiro Hiranuma came to power, but he refrained from attempting to institute any major policy changes. However, he soon presided over a series of disasters, each of which clearly indicated that Japan’s military-led foreign policy had miscalculated fundamental realities.
Fumimaro Konoe and the China Quagmire
From 1937-1939, the nation was led by rightwing aristocrat Fumimaro Konoe, regarded by many as a man of destiny who might lead the nation to a glorious future. Konoe, however, proved to be a rudderless leader and soon allowed himself to be dragged into an all-out confrontation with nationalist forces in China.
Senjuro Hayashi and the Imperial Army’s False Start
With the selection in early 1937 of General Senjuro Hayashi to become prime minister, the Imperial Japanese Army was excited to have one of its own in charge of the nation for the first time in decades; but his first political moves alienated almost everyone and he was out within a few months.
Koki Hirota and the Anti-Comintern Pact
From 1936-1937, diplomat Koki Hirota was appointed prime minister. At this juncture, however, the office had become weaker than ever, and Hirota could do little more than be the public face of policies designed by the Imperial Japanese Army.
