HidekiTojo

EncyclopediaofWorldBiography|2004
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HidekiTojo

HidekiTojo(1884-1948),aJapanesegeneralandpremierduringWorldWarII,
washangedasawarcriminal.Hesymbolized,inhisrisetoleadershipofthe
Japanesegovernment,theemergenceofJapanesemilitarismanditsparochial
viewoftheworld.
HidekiTojowasborninTokyoonDec.30,1884,theeldestsoninafamilyof
samuraidescent.Tojoenteredmilitaryschoolin1899,followinginthe
footstepsofhisfather,aprofessionalmilitarymanwhoservedasa
lieutenantcolonelintheSino-JapaneseWarandasamajorgeneralinthe
Russo-JapaneseWar.Tojolikewisesawservice,thoughbrie y,inthelatter
war.In1915hegraduatedwithhonorsfromthearmywarcollegeandwas
subsequentlysentabroadfor3years(1919-1922)ofstudyinEurope.Afterhis
returnheservedasaninstructorinmilitaryscienceatthewarcollege.
Brusque,scrupulous,andhardworking,Tojocametobeknownaskamisori
(therazor)forthesharp,decisive,impatientqualitiesthathemanifestedas
heroserapidlythroughthemilitaryhierarchy.Hewasassigned rsttothe
WarMinistryandsubsequentlytothegeneralsta andvariouscommand
posts.Promotedtolieutenantgeneralin1936,Tojobecamechiefofsta of
theKwantungArmyinManchuria,whereheworkede ectivelytomobilize
Manchuria'seconomyandstrengthenJapan'smilitaryreadinessintheevent
thatwarbrokeoutwiththeSovietUnion.Whenfull-scalehostilitiesbroke
outinsteadbetweenChinaandJapanfollowingtheMarcoPoloBridge
incident,Tojoinhis rstrealtasteofcombatexperienceledtwobrigadesin
ablitzkriegthatquicklybroughtthewholeofInnerMongoliaunderJapanese

control.In1938hewasrecalledfrom eldservicetobecomevice-ministerof
war,apositioninwhichhepressedresolutelyforpreparationsthatwould
allowJapantowageatwo-frontwaragainstbothChinaandtheSoviet
Union.
Inmid-1940TojowasappointedwarministerinthesecondFumimaro
Konoegovernment,whichproceededatoncetosigntheTripartitePactwith
GermanyandItaly.RelationswiththeUnitedStatesgraduallyworsened
duringsucceedingmonthsasJapanesetroopsmovedsouthintoIndochina;
butTojohewedtoahardline.Convincedoftherighteousnessoftheimperial
causeandoftheimplacablehostilityoftheAmericans,theBritish,the
Chinese,andtheDutch,hestoutlyopposedthenegotiationsandconcessions
thatKonoecontemplated.Speakingforthearmycommand,Tojodemandeda
decisionforwarunlesstheUnitedStatesbackedawayfromitsembargoon
allexportstoJapan.WhenKonoehesitated,Tojoisreportedtohavetoldhim
that"sometimesitisnecessarytoshutone'seyesandtaketheplunge."
Konoe,however,wasreluctanttotaketheplungeandinsteadtenderedhis
resignation.

LeadershipinWar
AnimperialmandatewasthengiventoTojoinOctober1941tobecome
premierandformanewCabinet.ItwasthoughtthatonlyTojohadfull
knowledgeofrecentdevelopmentsandanabilitytocontrolthearmy.Tojo
wasgivenanimperialcommandto"wipetheslateclean,"reviewallpast
decisions,andworkforpeace.ButareconsiderationofJapanesepolicyfailed
torevealalternativesacceptabletothearmy,andthedecisionforwarwas
taken.WithinhoursafterthesurpriseattackonPearlHarbor,Tojobroadcast
abriefmessagetohiscountrymen,warningthemthat"toannihilatethis

enemyandtoestablishastableneworderinEastAsia,thenationmust
necessarilyanticipatealongwar."
TojohadgreatpoweratthebeginningofthewarandintheWestwasoften
likenedtoHitlerandMussolini.Besidesservingaspremier,hewasageneral
inthearmy,warminister,and,forashorttime,homeminister.Laterinthe
warhealsoservedaschiefofthegeneralsta .In1942atightlyrestricted
nationalelectionresultedinapro-TojoDiet.Nonetheless,whilewielding
greatpower,TojowasstillnotadictatorlikeHitlerorMussolini.Thesenior
statesmen,thearmyandnavygeneralsta s,and,ofcourse,ultimatelythe
EmperorstillexercisedconsiderablepowerindependentofTojo.

DefeatandDishonor
Byearly1944eventhoughthetideofbattlehadturneddecisivelyagainst
Japan,andTojoadmittedtotheDietthatthenationfaced"themostcritical
situationinthehistoryoftheEmpire,"hestood rmlyopposedto
increasingsentimentinfavorofnegotiation.ThefallofSaipaninJuly1944,
however,putAmericanbomberswithinrangeofthehome-land,andthe
seniorstatesmentogetherwithministersinTojo'sCabinetforcedhiminto
retirement.
WiththeendofthewarTojoawaitedathisTokyoresidencehisarrestbythe
occupationforces.OnSept.11,1945,whenGen.MacArthurorderedhisarrest,
Tojoattemptedtoshoothimself.AfterhisrecoveryhewasheldinSugamo
prisonuntilhistrialasasuspectedwarcriminalbytheInternationalMilitary
TribunalfortheFarEastbeganinMay1946.Afterproceedingswhich
stretchedoutover2years,duringwhichTojowillinglyacceptedhis
responsibilityformuchofJapan'swartimepolicywhiledeclaringit

legitimateself-defense,hewasfoundguiltyofhaving"majorresponsibility
forJapan'scriminalattacksonherneighbors"andwassentencedtodeathby
hanging.ThesentencewascarriedoutonDec.23,1948.

FurtherReading
Thede nitiveworkonTojoisRobertJ.C.Butow,TojoandtheComingofthe
War(1961).Acompilationofthe1941policyconferencerecords,inwhichTojo
playedaleadingrole,maybefoundinNobutakaIke,ed.,Japan'sDecisionfor
War(1967).Forarevisionistinterpretationoftheroleofthemilitaryin
foreign-policydecisionsseeJamesB.Crowley,Japan'sQuestforAutonomy:
NationalSecurityandForeignPolicy,1930-1938(1966).

Citethisarticle
"HidekiTojo."EncyclopediaofWorldBiography.2004.Encyclopedia.com.3Apr.
2016<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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