Hideki Tojo, presumably Chinese who have read history books, will not be unfamiliar. During World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo was often portrayed as a militant who launched a war against China, and for good reason, was prosecuted and executed as a Class A war criminal.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > root cause: Hideki Tojo's loyalty to the emperor</h1>
Hideki Tojo was born in Tokyo on December 30, 1884. His father was Hidenori Higashino, an official of the samurai rank. The Meiji Restoration ended the shogunate in 1868 and restored the power of the emperor, repairing the samurai class that ended as part of Japan's modernization and industrialization reforms.
But the age-old divide between ordinary people and aristocrats is hard to break. Tojo followed in his father's footsteps. In 1905, he graduated from the Japanese Military Academy, where he received an education typical of that period: in the form of complete loyalty to the emperor.
General Hideki Toyo bowed to Emperor Hirohito. December 1942
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > beliefs: the development of anti-Western views</h1>
Tojo had developed an anti-Western belief in his youth: from 1904 to 1905, Japan waged a successful war against the Russian Empire to control Manchuria and Korea. Despite winning the war, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt pushed for the conclusion of the Treaty of Portsmouth, which did not cede Manchuria to Japan, but effectively returned the territory to China.
Tojo's view was further strengthened when the United States, led by President Woodrow Wilson, rejected Japan's proposal to recognize equality for all nations at the Council of the League of Nations. Then, in 1924, the U.S. Congress passed a bill banning immigrants from across Asia. In Tojo's view, the United States would never accept Japan's equality. In the early 1920s, he returned home from Germany and crossed the United States by train – his first and only time in Germany.
Member of the League of Nations Committee that rejected Japan's proposal for racial equality
In 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria. In 1934, Hideki Tojo was promoted to major general, and the following year he commanded the Japanese military police in Manchuria. He said Japan needed to become a totalitarian state in order to prepare for the next inevitable war.
As his influence grew, he earned the nickname "Razor" for his decisive and stern disposition. His next career was in 1937, when he became chief of staff of the Kwantung Army and was appointed Minister of War in 1940.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the first event, the Sino-Japanese War, began</h1>
In July 1937, the "Lugou Bridge Incident" occurred in Beijing, which was an excuse for the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese occupied Nanjing, the capital of China, and then began systematic rape and killing of local residents for six weeks.
The United States has imposed economic sanctions and embargoes on Japan, including restrictions on key strategic resources such as scrap metal and gasoline (more than 80 percent of Japan's oil comes from the United States). Instead of waking Japan up, these sanctions have put it at an impasse with the United States.
Japan signed the Tripartite Agreement with Germany and Italy in September 1940. It then moved its military units to Southeast Asia to secure strategic resources there. The French Vichy regime allowed Japan to deploy troops in northern Indochina (essentially northern Vietnam in modern times), effectively blocking China and preventing it from importing weapons and goods through its southern neighbor.
The United States opposed further sanctions, but in July 1941, Japan took over all of France's Indochina. Japan has been deadlocked over whether to wage war against the United States or continue "useless" diplomatic negotiations to restore the supply of valuable gasoline.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > how Tojo climbed to the top</h1>
On October 16, 1941, Keio Omi resigned as Prime Minister and suggested that Emperor Hirohito be succeeded by Kunihiko Tokuni. But Hirohito chose a different strategy: The next day, he appointed Hideki Tojo, the government's leading hardline figure, as Japan's prime minister.
Despite The military stance of General Tojo, he promised the Emperor that he would manage to reach an agreement. However, it was also decided that if a treaty had not been reached by December 1, Japan would wage war against the United States.
On November 5, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor was approved, and on November 16, the rally for the attack began.
It is important to note that Tojo is often considered a separate order to attack the United States. While Tojo is indeed prime minister, the decision was made by consensus between him, the cabinet minister and the military commander.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > second incident: the attack on Pearl Harbor</h1>
The situation has become more volatile. On November 26, 1941, the United States issued a memorandum calling for the complete withdrawal of Japanese troops from China and France. Hideki Tojo used this as an ultimatum, there was no peace. On the advice of Tojo and his cabinet, Emperor Hirohito agreed to attack Pearl Harbor on December 1 and carry out the attack on December 7.
In the memorandum of agreement, Hideki Tojo said: "I am very happy. It can be said that, given the current situation, we have won the war. ”
Hirohito said after the attack: "In order to survive and defend itself, our empire has no choice but to turn to weapons and destroy all obstacles in its way forward." Japan was officially in a state of military conflict with the United States and the British Empire, entering World War II from that moment on.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > victories and atrocities</h1>
Initially, Tojo was popular because the Japanese experienced victory after the victory. To consolidate his power, on April 30, 1942, Tojo held a special election to fill seats in the Japanese legislature with his pro-war supporters.
Throughout the war, Tojo was trapped in battles between the Japanese bureaucracy and the military. When he tried to concentrate power in his hands, some criticized the move and told him that Germany's mistakes in the war were caused by Hitler's micromanagement. Tojo reportedly replied: "Hitler was a soldier. I am a general. "Although Tojo did not reach Hitler's level, he committed several terrible crimes.
In allied propaganda, Tojo was ridiculed and humiliated as Hitler or Mussolini. He became the worst symbol of Japanese militarism, and many rightly believed that he was the culprit in Japan's atrocities and incitement to war.
As for the atrocities, there are many. The death rate among Western prisoners in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps was 27 percent, seven times higher than in German prisoner-of-war camps.
In addition, he approved biological experiments on prisoners of war. Tojo also agreed to be a "comfort woman" for forced prostitution by the Japanese army. On the other hand, despite German protests, Tojo approved the resettlement of Russian Jewish refugees to Manchuria.
In April 1942, the Japanese forcibly transferred tens of thousands of American and Filipino prisoners of war to Japanese-controlled areas. Thousands of people died along the way. Later, the event became known as the "Bataan Death March" and would be declared a crime.
However, after the Battle of Midway in June 1942, luck turned to the Americans, and Tojo's popularity declined as a result. Confidence in the prime minister declined further when the Americans drove the Japanese out of the conquered territories.
By then, many in power in Japan realized that the war had been lost and that Tojo would not be able to negotiate a peace treaty and ensure the survival of the current government. After a long two-and-a-half-year war, in July 1944 he resigned due to the defeat of the Japanese on Saipan.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ended: Tojo unsuccessfully committed suicide</h1>
Even without power, Hideki Tojo remained militarist. On August 13, 1945, when Japan inevitably surrendered to the West, he wrote: "Now we must see our country surrender to the enemy ... Now we are moving towards a humiliating peace, or towards a humiliating surrender. ”
Emperor Hirohito declared Japan on August 15, 1945, and thereafter surrendered unconditionally, taking effect on September 2.
On 11 September, General Douglas MacArthur ordered the arrest of Hideki Tojo, who had become isolated from the world. The arrest was made by John F. Kennedy. Conducted by Lieutenant J. Wilpers.
Hideki Tojo was easy to find, but instead of succumbing to arrest, he shot himself. A Japanese journalist recorded Tojo's words: "I'm sorry I've been dead for a long time. The wars in Greater East Asia were just and just. I am very sorry for all races in this country and for the great powers of Asia. I am waiting for a just judgment of history. The wound was heavy, but not fatal.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > final: court trial</h1>
Tojo was cured and charged as a Class A war criminal.
The indictment alleges that Tojo and others "conspired to commit ... Murder, maiming and mistreatment of prisoners of war [and] civilians in captivity ... Forcing them to work in inhumane conditions ... Villages without military necessity; [commitments] massacres, rapes, robberies, robberies, torture and other barbaric atrocities against helpless civilians in the occupied Country. ”
According to Tojo, he was responsible for the emperor and he should be fully punished for the war. He wrote in his prison diary: "Naturally, I must bear full responsibility for the whole war, and of course, I am ready for it." ”
It was not until the second half of 1947 that Tojo was summoned to testify, after which an international military tribunal ruled that he had committed an unprovoked war against China. Waged wars of aggression against the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands; and sanctions for the inhuman treatment of prisoners of war.
Hideki Tojo was found guilty, sentenced to death on November 12, 1948, and hanged six weeks later. His ashes were buried at the Yasukuni Shrine. The Yasukuni Shrine, also known as the "Temple of Military Criminals," is considered a symbol of Japan's militaristic past.
Tojo was sentenced to death for a Grade A war crime.