Japan in the Second World War

Chair: Alexa Iadarola

Crisis Director: Caroline Peters


JapanintheSecondWorldWar
Dossier

YourPeers,YourFriends,andYourEnemies

1.SeniorAdvisorHiranumaKiichir
BornintoapoorsamuraifamilyandstudiedEnglishLawatKyotoInternational
University,Kiichirservesasoneofthe
Jushin,orunofficialsenioradvisorstoEmperor
Hirohito.HirohitoconsidersKiichiratrustedandwiseadvisorbecauseofhispast
workattheMinistryofJusticeandasPrivyCouncilor,ChairmanoftheHouseofPeers,
PrimeMinister,andHomeMinister.Hespeaksoutregularlyagainstcorruptionwithin
thegovernmentaswellasthreateningforeigninfluences,includingliberalpolitical
ideologiessuchassocialismanddemocracy.Tocombatthesethreateningforces,he
createdthe Kokuhonshagroup,anationalisticpoliticalsociety.

2.JapaneseAmericanAmbassadorKichisaburNomura
NomuragraduatedfromtheImperialJapaneseNavalAcademyin1898,rankingsecond
outofaclassof57cadets.Eversincehewatchedthevaledictorianofhisclassgivea
speechatgraduationandsayeverythinghewantedtosay,Nomurahasvowedtobe
moreoutspokenandquickwittedthanallthosearoundhim.Frustratedagain,onlythis
timeastheambassadortotheUnitedStates,Nomurareceivedatelegramfrom
Japaneseofficialsstatingthattheywouldnolongerrespecttheneutralityagreement
reachedbyJapanandtheUnitedStatesonDecember8whiletheembassy'stechnical
supportstaffwasstillonvacation,forcinghimtotranslateithimself.Thisblindsided
theUnitedStatesandleftthemblamingNomura.HewasunabletowarnAmerican
officialsbeforetheattacktookplace.

3.MemberandLeaderofImperialRuleAssistanceAssociationKantar
Suzuki
SuzukiisamemberandleaderoftheImperialRuleAssistanceAssociationandisthe
currentand42ndPrimeMinisterofJapan,startinghistermonApril7th.Famousfor
saying,Itrusttheenemycommander,Suzukiisextremelyunpopularamongstmilitary
leaders,asheavoidsconflictatallcosts.Heurgesthatnegotiationsonunconditional
surrenderbeginassoonaspossiblesothatthePacificconflictsmayend.Abulletmeant
tokillhimremainslodgedinhisleftshoulder.Itstillgiveshimpain,somuchsothathe
needstoleavetheroomduringimportantmeetingsorsohesays.

4.MinisterofForeignAffairsShigemitsuMamoru
MamoruistheMinisterofForeignAffairsandhasestablishedmultiplepersonal
relationshipswithinternationalfiguresfromPolandtoChina.AfterattendingtheParis
PeaceConference,ShigemitsuexchangedaddresseswithacertainRussianminx,
probablynamedAnnaorAlinaorAlexandra.Regardless,hestillkeepsintouchwithher
secretaryandhopestogainhersupportinanearlypeacesettlement.Healsohasa
weirdfascinationwiththestateofMissouri,andquestionseveryAmericandiplomathe
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JapanintheSecondWorldWar
comesincontactwithaboutwhetherhehasseentheEasternBluebird,theMissouri
statebird.

5.MinisterofWarandrecentlytheChiefoftheArmyAeronautical
DepartmentKorechikaAnami
AnamicurrentlyservesastheMinisterofWarandwasrecentlytheChiefoftheArmy
AeronauticalDepartment.Anamiiswellawareofhowdestructiveanddamning
continuingthewarinthePacificis,yethisparentsinstilledinhimadrivetocomplete
whathestarted.Hedoesnotbelievethatthewariscomplete,soheiswillingtosacrifice
asmanyJapaneseandenemylivesasittakestofinishit.Anamiisnotquitesureif
Trumanreallyhasthosebombshekeepstalkingabout,butifhedoes,heprobablyonly
hasone,anditprobablyisnotasbadaseveryonesaysitis.NoLittleBoy(Bomb)will
stophim.

6.MinisteroftheNavyMitsumasaYonai
YonaiservesastheMinisteroftheNavy.Hebarelyeverspeaks,andwhenhedoes,he
speaksinadeepandindecipherableNambuaccent.Heeitherhastoomuchortoolittle
tosay.Eitherway,whenaskedabouthisthoughtsontheTripartitePactwithNazi
GermanyandfascistItaly,hestaredintospaceandsimplyshookhishead.Someeven
reportedseeingasingletearfallslowlydownhisleftcheek.Heistheonlypersoninthe
ImperialJapaneseNavyshistorytoreturnfromretirementandbepostedtothe
supremepositionoftheMinisterofNavy,whichillustratesjusthowmuchHirohito
respectsYonai.HesupportedacceptingthePotsdamDeclarationinoppositiontomany
ofhispeers,andevenmadeashort,yetinsightful,speechduringameetingoftheWar
Council.

7.ChiefoftheArmyGeneralStaffYoshijirUmezu
UmezuservesasChiefoftheArmyGeneralStaffandurgestheSupremeWarCouncilto
keepfighting.Althoughhestartedhismilitaryandpoliticalcareersupportinga
moderateparty,hesoontookonconservativeviewpointswhenitcametomilitary
initiatives.HearguedthatitwasinJapansbestinteresttoforceAmericantroopsinto
mainlandJapansoastoputasmuchpressureontheUnitedStatesaspossible.Japan
wouldthenbeinapositiontomakemoredemandsduringpeacenegotiations.Even
thoughhewascompletelyawareoftheplannedcoupd'tatbyjuniorofficersopposedto
apossibleunconditionalsurrender,heallegedlydidnothingtoeitheraidorhinderit.
Nooneseemstoknowhowmuchheknowsandaboutwhom,exceptforhislovely
secretary,YumaWatanabe.

8.ChiefoftheG1OperationalBureauofArmyGeneralStaffOffice
ShunsukeMatsuda
Matsudaisknownforhiscunningpersonalityandgreatwit.Heisincommandofthe
StrategyandTacticsDepartmentandLandSurveyDepartment.Inbetweenmeetings
withhisadvisorsandemployees,Matsudapreferstotaketripstoseespecificareasin
JapanandelsewherethatarebeingusedforlogisticalstopsforJapanesesoldiers.
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JapanintheSecondWorldWar
Becauseofthis,heisoftenoutoftheofficeandleavesmessagesforhisemployeesona
chalkboardonthefrontofhisofficedoor.

9.ChiefoftheG2IntelligenceBureauofArmyGeneralStaffOfficeShinzo
Kintomi
Kintomiisacold,hardmanwhoenjoysefficiencyandorder.Thebestexampleofthisis
hisprideandjoy,hissuperblykeptcoincollection.Kintomiisabletoreadeveryonethat
hecomesincontactwith,whichiswhyitissodifficultforspiestodoublecrosshim.He
isinchargeoftheRussia,EuropeandNorthAmerican,ChinaandOthersDepartment,
withwhomhemeetswitheveryweektohavedetailedupdates.

10.G2IntelligenceRussiaDepartmentChairKentaIshita
IshitaattendedKyotoUniversitywherehestudiedpoliticalphilosophy,mathand
Russian.AfterhisundergraduatecareerhetookamysterioustriptoMoscowtousehis
newlyacquiredRussianlinguisticskillsandfoundhimselfawifeandajob.EsfirPopov
serveshimasaloyalwifeandsecretaryastheytogetherfoundtheirwayintothe
networkofRussio/JapaneseIntelligence.Ishitaattemptstokeepacasualrelationship
withhisRussianpeerstoencouragethemtoopenuptohim.Sofarithasnotbeenvery
successful,soheisopentotryingdifferentstrategies.

11.G2IntelligenceEuropeandNorthAmericaDepartmentChairDaichi
HenryChigarashi
Chigarashispent12yearsofhislifeinSeattle,Washington,wherehisfatherworked
withaninsurancecompany.HissummerswerespentbetweenKyotovisitinghis
grandparentsandLondonwithhisdadonworktrips.Oncehegraduatedhighschoolhe
returnedtoJapanforuniversityandthenimmediatelystartedworkingattheU.S.
consulateofJapan.OnceWWIIbegan,hewasrecruitedbecauseofhisvastknowledge
oftheWest.ManyworrythatChigarashiisnotloyaltothecausebecausehespentso
longabroad.

12.G2IntelligenceChinaDepartmentChairAtsushiGoto
Gotoisanesteemedleaderintheintelligencecommunitybecauseofhisexperiencein
thefield.Afteracareerincentralintelligencefor45years,Gotoretiredin1939tospend
moretimewithhiswifeandgrandchildreninhisfamilyhomeinHokkaido.Whenthe
secondworldwarhitJapanGotosawhisdutytohiscountryandrejoinedthe
intelligencecommunityastheIntelligenceChinaDepartmentChair.

13.ChiefoftheG3(TransportandCommunications)BureauofArmy
HisokaNakano
Nakanosblindlyoptimisticmindsetisthecurrentmainframeofthetransportand
communicationsbureau.Manyaredoubtinghisabilitiesasaleader,howeverhewas
appointedbyUmezuwhoisgreatlyrespectedinthepoliticalcommunitymeaningthat
noonespokeupagainstNakano.
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JapanintheSecondWorldWar
14.ChiefoftheNavyGeneralStaffSoemuToyoda
ToyodaservesasChiefoftheNavyGeneralStaff.Knownforhisriskyandaggressive
strategiesthatneverpayoff,hispeerscallhimSoemu
Toyoda,whichtranslatestoSoemumanwhoneverlearnedhislessonToyoda.
YonaihopedthathiscalmingenergywouldcounterbalanceToyodas,butthathasnot
yethappened.ToyodaandUmezuwenttothesamegradeschoolbackinOita,where
theyplayedwiththeirfatherssamuraiswordsandmadeapacttobeontheSupreme
WarCounciltogether.Assuch,ToyodaseemstoagreeregularlywithUmezu,asthey
havesimilarvalues.

15.RightwingExtremistTakaraIto
ItoisTyamaMitsurusbiggestadmirerandisarightwingextremistwhopreferstobe
labeledaconservative.MitsurufoundedtheGenyosha,asecretsocietyandterrorist
organizationinthelate1800sthatfocusedonforcingJapanesemilitaryexpansionand
takingovertheAsiancontinent.Recruitingexsamurai,Mitsuruorganizedcrimeand
assassinationattemptsagainstforeignersinJapanandpoliticianswhodidnotbelievein
hisstaunchconservativeways.WhenMitsurudiedin1944,hepassedthetorchtoIto,
andwhileItoisnewtothejob,hefeelsconfidentinhiscriticalthinkingskillsandability
tobeflexibleonthejoboratleast,hisresumesaysheis.

16.FounderoftheproCommunistLeagueofKoreansinJapanKim
Chonhae
ChonhaeisaleadingfigureintheJapaneseCommunistPartyandafounderofthe
procommunistLeagueofKoreansinJapan,buthewouldconsiderhimselfjusta
regularguytryingtogetbyinaninhumaneandcorruptcapitalistsystem.Semantics.
ChonhaealsoservesintheNorthKoreangovernment,butishavingadifficulttime
stayingoutofjailasapoliticalprisoner.Nevertheless,Chonhaeisnotafraidtofallfor
whathebelievesin,andhewillnotbesilencedbytheoppressivecommunistregimethat
gripsitsgreedyfingersaroundstrugglingcomrades.

17.ChiefofPressRelationsBranch,MinistryofWarMasaharuHomma
HommaservesasChiefofPressRelationsBranch,MinistryofWar.Alwaysacrusader
forpeacefulresolution,HommacalledforpeaceaftertheFallofNankingaswellas
duringthisgreatwarinthePhilippines.Hewasaccusedofbeingtootimidinwar,
subsequentlycausingacostlytimegapinforcingtheAmericanandFilipinosurrender,
eventhoughhisfriendssayheplaysameangameofBattleship.Asaresult,hewas
forcedintoretirementfromthemilitaryin1943.Nowheworksonpressreleasesand
propaganda.Oneofhismostdifficultjobsiskeepinghisunderlingsfromleaking
informationheshareswiththemabouthispeersinthepoliticalrealm.

18.ImperialYouthFederationandImperialYouthCorpsChiefKingoro
Hashimoto
HashimotoistheImperialYouthFederationandImperialYouthCorpsChiefandisin
chargeofthelocalindoctrinationofyoungnationalistsandmilitaristsacrossthe
Empire.HedoesthisbycreatingandenforcingofficialdoctrinesoftheEmpire.Growing
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JapanintheSecondWorldWar
up,Hashimotowasanaturalleader,encouraginghispeerstorallybehindhimashe
tackledtheissuesofhistime.Charismaticandohsocharming,Hashimotohas
recruitedthebestteacherstoindoctrinatetheyouth.Heisquotedassaying,Ihaveone
missioninlife:toteachourchildrenthepowerofJapan.

19.ChiefofEconomicProjectDepartmentandChiefofCabinetSecretary
NaokiHoshino
HoshinoisapoliticaladviserwhocreatesneweconomicpoliciesforJapanwhileserving
astheChiefofEconomicProjectDepartmentandChiefofCabinetSecretary.Hoshino
provedhisworthinManchuriawhenhecreatedtheStateOpiumMonopolyBureauand
liftedManchuriatoahighpositioninthedrugtraffickingindustry.Heoftensaysbehind
closeddoorsandatcasualdinnerpartieswithfriendsthatDrugsaregoodforthe
economy.Lookingforward,Hoshinohasalwaysauthoredingeniousandrathersinister
economicpoliciesandwillcontinuetoleadwithaselfishmindset.

20.FormerAmbassadortotheUnitedStates,AdvisorKichisabur
Nomura
NomuraisaformerambassadortotheUnitedStateswhoprovidescriticalknowledgeof
Americanculture,geography,andsurprisinglyenough,toyplanes.Nomuraservedasan
ambassadorduringPearlHarbor,andthereforetheAmericangovernmentdistrustshim
greatly,whichmeansthathehastobeextremelydiscreetinhisresearch.Hisfavorite
waytogainknowledgeofAmericanintelligenceistoinviteofficialswivesoutdancing,
astheylovetospillallthejuicygossipbroughthomebytheirhusbands.

21.ChiefoftheGeneralAffairsBureauHeisukeYanagawa
YanagawaservesastheChiefoftheGeneralAffairsBureauspecificallyontheEastAsia
DevelopmentBoard.Yanagawainsiststhathelearnedeverythingheknowsfrom
HiranumaKiichir,hisdearfriendwhoawardedhimthejobofHeadoftheJustice
MinistryandwithwhomheregularlypracticestheartofthetraditionalJapanesetea
ceremony.Aftertheyfinishtheirbiweeklypractice,theysitdownforhoursatatime
discussingYanagawasviewsonStateShintoismandthefutureofTaiseiYokusankai,
hisprideandjoy.

22.PrinceNaruhikoHigashikuni
HigashikuniservedascommanderoftheGeneralDefenseCommanduntil1944.Healso
wasinstrumentalinforcingTjoutofhispositioninJuly,directlyafterthefallof
Saipan.ThePrincehasmuchsupportfromhispeers.Beforethestartofthewar,former
PrimeMinisterFumimaroKonoeprovidedPrinceHigashikunisnametoEmperor
Hirohitoasasuggestiontobethenextprimeminister,becauseonlyaprominentand
dignifiedmemberoftheImperialFamilyboastinganimpressivemilitarybackground
couldholdbackthewarhappyfactionledbyGeneralsHajimeSugiyama,HidekiTj,
andAkiraMut.ThePrincewasalsothefirstchoiceofbothChiefofStaffsoftheArmy
andtheNavybecauseofhiscompetentreputationandhispeacefulmindset.While
HirohotorespectsthePrince,hedoesnotwishtoplaceamemberoftheImperialFamily
insuchapositionthathecouldbeblamedifthewaristoendpoorly.
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JapanintheSecondWorldWar
23.GovernorofTokyoToshizNishio
NishiogovernsTokyousinghisrichanddiverseexperience.HeservedastheChairman
ofMilitaryInvestigationintheMinistryofWarandChiefofStaffoftheKwantungArmy
inManchuria,wherehereorganizedtheManchukuoImperialArmyandthepacification
ofManchukuo.AftercommandingregimentsinChinaformanyyears,hereturnedto
JapanandnowsitsontheSupremeWarCouncil.WhileinChina,Nishiowasmeticulous
inhiscorrespondencewithJapaneseofficialssometiculousthathedatedeverysingle
letterandhasthemallsavedinalittlewoodenboxunderneathhisbed.

24.HeadreporterfortheTokyoInquirerYutaImamura
ImamuraservedastheheadreporterfortheTokyoInquirer,whereheledhisteamina
missiontouncoverinformationoneveryaspectofthewar.Heconsidershisrelationship
withhisreaderstobeoftheutmostpriority,andhedoesnotmindgoingbehindeven
hisclosestfriendsbackstogethisstorypublishedfirst.Imamuraplacesasignificant
amountofpropagandainhisnewspaperarticles,asisrequiredbylaw.Healsocreated
animperialorganizationofnewsreporting,theJapaneseNewsReportersforaUnited
Japan.

25.JapanesespyTakeoYoshikawa
YoshikawaisaJapanesespyworkingcloselywithNavalintelligence.Afterworkingin
HawaiiduringtheattackonPearlHarbor,Yoshikawareturnedhometoapersonalletter
fromAdolfHitlerthankinghimfortheknowledgeheprovided.Theywroteextensively
andYoshikawawasdevastatedwhenheheardofHitlerspassing.Hiswifesaysthathe
didnotleavehisbedforweeks.Heisthankfullydonemourningandnowmaintainshis
closerelationshipwithNavalintelligence.Onlyhiswifeseemstoknowtrulywhatgoes
oninhishead.

26.HeadoftheYasudazaibatsuHajimeYasuda
YasudaistheheadoftheYasudazaibatsu,animperialbusinessconglomerateranked
behindonlytheMitsuiandMitsubishigroupsintotalcapital.Whenthegovernment
calledformoreproductionfromlargeJapanesebusinesses,Yasudadecidedthatall
membersoftheYasudaclanwouldtakeonleadershiprolesasboardmembersfor
zaibatsu.TheYasudabanklivesonasasignificantlylargeassetofoneofthefourlargest
andmostaffluentfamiliesinJapan.Hajimesgrandfatherwasassassinatedin1922
whenherefusedtomakealargedonationtothenationalistparty.

27.TranslatorNanaKato
KatoisthesavvyofficialtranslatoroftheJapaneseWarCouncil.KatospeaksJapanese,
EnglishandRussianandlovestoswitchbackandforthbetweenthelanguages.She
grewupinHiroshima,whereshespentherdaysreadingherflashcardstoKoreanslaves
inanattempttomemorizethemherselfandalsoeducatetheslaves.Becauseofthis,the
KoreanpopulationintheSouthernregionofJapanisextremelyloyaltoKatoandher
fighttoeducatetheenslaved.


JapanintheSecondWorldWar
28.CommunistWriterOsamuDazai
Dazaiisaneloquentwriterknownforgettinghiswritingpublishedevenduringthese
heavilycensoredyears.Withsuchalargefanbaseacrossallgeographicalandcultural
facetsofJapan,whathesaysgreatlyimpactstheJapanesecommunity.Whenhisson
wasbadlyinjuredintheTokyofirebombings,hestartedtoreachouttotheJapanese
CommunistpartyfromhisyouthonceagainblamingtheJapanesegovernmentforthe
war.Whilehehasattemptedtopublishmanycommunistsupportingworksrecently,the
Japanesegovernmentiscrackingdownmoreandmoreondissentingopinionsoftheir
politicaldecisions.Hehasstartedanundergroundwritingsocietyencouraging
communistworks.

29.AdvisorFumimaroKonoe
KonoeservedastheJapanesePrimeMinisterfrom1937to1939and1940to1941
duringwhichheallowedKokutainoHongi(1937)andShinminnoMichi(1941)tobe
published,bothofwhichdiscussfundamentalsofnationalpolicy.Heencouraged
EmperorShwatoinvadeChinaandcreatetheNationalSpiritualMobilization
Movement,theLeagueofDietMembersBelievingtheObjectivesoftheHolyWarand
theTaiseiYokusankaitoencourageacultureoftotalwarallthroughoutJapan.This
beingsaid,hevehementlyopposedwarwiththewesternpowers.Konoesclose
relationshipwithEmperorShwaallowedhimtotakeontheroleofclosepersonal
advisor.

30.GovernorGeneralofKoreaNobuyukiAbe
AsformerPrimeMinister,Abehasagreatdealofexperienceunderhisjimbaesleeve.
ShortlyafterhefinishedhistermasPrimeMinisterheservedasaspecialenvoythrough
thearmytoChinatosupportandadvisetheWangJingweiregimeinNanjing.While
therehenegotiatedanextremelyimportanttreatythatensuredJapaneseprosperityas
wellascontrolovertheeconomyinmilitaryinthenorthernChineseregion.Afterhe
successfullycompletedthis,hecamebacktohisnativelandandjoinedtheHouseof
Peersthreeshortyearsago.HealsoservedasthePresidentoftheImperialRule
AssistancePoliticalAssociation.Justlastyearhewasappointedasthe10thGovernor
GeneralofKorea.WhenhehadtoreturntoJapanhebroughtbackwithhimaloveof
Koreanopentheatres,apastimethatheisattemptingtointegrateintothelivesofthe
Japanese,althoughmanyofhispeershaveremindedhimthattheyareinthemiddleof
thewarandnoonewastimetohelphimproducethefirstofmanyofhisKoreanplays.

31.HeadoftheNationalSpiritualMobilizationMovementSadaoAraki
ArakihashadaprosperouscareerpriortohiscurrentMovementasMinisterofthe
Armyfrom1931to1933andEducationMinisterfrom1938to1939.Hisideascould
mostdefinitelybecategorizedasmilitaristicandexpansionistic.Hiswifeinsistedthat
politicsneverbebroughtupatthedinnertable,soafteradeliciousmealofmizoand
sashimi,Arakiwouldwalkafewblocksdownthestreettohisdearfriend,Fumimaro
Konoes,homewheretheywouldshareabottleofSakeanddebateoverwhatwasmore
Western:PresidentTrumanorWaltDisneymovies.WhilenotburningAmerican
literature,hecreatedthefascistplatformoftheKdhagroupandspearheadedthe
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JapanintheSecondWorldWar
NationalSpiritualMobilizationMovementtoencouragetheHolyWaragainstthegreat
threattotheNorth,China.

32.ImperialArmyGeneralTomoyukiYamashita
Yamashitalivedtoservehiscountryasamilitarystrategist.Leadingtheinvasionand
conqueringofMalayaandSingaporeinjust70days,YamashitawasnicknamedThe
TigerofMalaya.YamashitacareddeeplyaboutJapansglobalreputationandoften
flipsthroughWesternnewspapersandmagazinestounderstandtheWesternmindset.

33.PrinceKan'inKotohito
ThePrinceservedasChiefofStaffoftheImperialArmyfrom1931to1940,during
whichheorderedtheNankingmassacreandusedchemicalweaponsinwarinChina.He
alsowasahugesupporterofStateShintoismandencouragedhisgrandchildrento
promoteShintoismwithintheirschoolsandlocalcommunities.

34.ViceAdmiralJisaburOzawa
OzawaisanadmiralintheImperialJapaneseNavyandistheCommanderinChiefof
theCombinedFleet.AlargeportionofpoliticalmilitaryscientistsconsiderOzawatobe
oneofthebestofficersintheentireNavy.Thementhatworkunderhimhavethe
utmostrespectforhimhemakesthemswearattheendoftheirtrainingthattheywill
dieforhimiftheyhaveto.Inshort,Ozawaismostdefinitelyintimidating.

35.GeneralSadamuShimomura
ShimomuraservesastheMinisterofWarandInspectorGeneralofMilitaryTrainingon
theJapaneseWarCouncilbecauseofhiswellknownpeacefuloutlookonWestern
relations.WhileShimomurahadnotbeenindirectconflictwiththeUnitedStates,he
ranatightshipwhentrainingnewrecruitsandthosewishingtoclimbintheranks.

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