English-speaking diplomat Kijuro Shidehara served as prime minister in 1945-1946, corresponding with the most progressive phase of a US military occupation which was initially guided by the principles of the New Deal and the American concern that Japan never again pose a military challenge to US hegemony in the Pacific.
Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni stepped in to manage the surrender of the Japanese Empire in 1945. This was handled quite effectively, but it soon became clear that he was not even remotely on the same page with the incoming US occupation forces about what should come next.
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.
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.
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.
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.
From 1934-1936, Keisuke Okada became the second consecutive moderate admiral to serve as prime minister, though on a weaker political footing than his predecessor. Still, he managed to stay on top of the situation until Imperial Army radicalism led to a violent uprising by junior officers.
From 1929-1931, the Lion Prime Minister Osachi Hamaguchi brought strength and determination to the more liberal forces in Japan, effectively staring down a challenge from radical officers in the Imperial Navy. His economic policy regarding the Great Depression was also strong and decisive, but unfortunately quite mistaken. Before his error had become entirely clear, however, he was wounded and ultimately killed by an assassin’s bullet.
From 1927-1929, Imperial Army-officer-turned-politician Giichi Tanaka attempted to guide Japan with a firm hand, aiming to crush radicalism at home and to use the iron fist in China. This hardline turn was resisted on many fronts, but the biggest problem emerged from the Army itself, which was slipping away from political control.
From 1926-1927, Reijiro Wakatsuki led Japan’s ruling party, but his tendency to shy away from confrontations helped put him in a weaker position than his predecessor. As the new Emperor Hirohito began his reign, a careless comment by the finance minister triggered a run on banks.
