Hideki Tojo

Hideki Tojo, a Japanese politician, military leader, and convicted war criminal, was born in the Kōjimachi district of Tokyo to a low-ranking former samurai family. He later became prime minister of Japan and played a significant role in World War II.

In 1899, Hideki Tojo enrolled in the Army Cadet School, marking the beginning of his formal military education. This step eventually paved the way for his future leadership roles within the Imperial Japanese Army.

Hideki Tojo began his career in the Imperial Japanese Army in 1902. He steadily rose through the ranks and eventually became a general by 1934, playing a crucial role in military operations against China and other regions.

In March of 1905, Hideki Tojo was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Japanese Imperial Army, marking the beginning of his military career.

In 1909, Hideki Tojo married Katsuko Ito, who later gave birth to three sons and four daughters. His family remained politically active even after World War II.

In 1922, Tojo visited the United States for the first and only time. The visit left him with a negative impression of Americans, viewing them as materialistic and hedonistic.

Tojo was greatly offended by the US Immigration Control Act of 1924, which banned all Asian immigration. He expressed bitterness towards American whites for not accepting Asians as equals.

In 1928, Tojo was promoted to colonel in the Japanese Army. This marked a significant advancement in his military career.

In March 1934, the book 'Essays in time of national emergency' was published by the Army Ministry, featuring a chapter written by Hideki Tojo calling for Japan to become a totalitarian 'national defense state' to prepare for the next war.

In September 1935, Hideki Tojo took over the leadership of the Kempeitai of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria, where he played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the region.

During the February 26 coup attempt of 1936, Hideki Tojo opposed the rebels associated with the 'Imperial Way' faction, leading to a brief political crisis and the subsequent purge of radical officers from the Army.

In 1937, Hideki Tojo was promoted to the position of chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, where he played a key role in military operations and preparations for a potential war against the Soviet Union.

In May 1938, Hideki Tojo was recalled to Japan to serve as vice-minister of the army under Army Minister Seishirō Itagaki.

On the 22nd of July, 1940, Hideki Tojo was appointed as the Army Minister to Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro, playing a significant role in Japanese politics and military affairs.

On July 30, 1940, Hideki Tojo was appointed as army minister in the second Fumimaro Konoe regime and remained in that post in the third Konoe cabinet.

Hirohito expressed skepticism about Hideki Tojo's ability to avoid conflict and declared to Kōichi Kido that if hostilities erupt, he would have to issue a declaration of war against the United States.

Konoe resigned as he felt politically isolated and believed that the emperor no longer trusted him, leading to his decision to step down from his position.

Hideki Tojo was appointed as the prime minister of Japan on October 17, 1941. He advocated for a preemptive attack on the United States and its allies, leading Japan into World War II and overseeing significant conquests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Hideki Tojo became the Prime Minister of Japan on October 18, 1941, succeeding Fumimaro Konoe. He centralized power in his office, controlling the military and navy personally. His aggressive foreign policies strained relations with the western world, leading to the United States imposing an embargo on Japan.

Tojo and Chiefs of Staff report to Hirohito that the review had been in vain, leading to the Emperor giving his consent to war.

Hirohito approved the operations plan for a war against the West after holding meetings with the military and Tojo.

Tojo announced on Japanese radio that Japan was at war with the United States, the British Empire, and the Netherlands.

In August 29, 1942, a major crisis occurred in Hideki Tojo's cabinet when the Foreign Minister objected to the Prime Minister's plan to establish a Greater East Asia Ministry, leading to his resignation.

On September 1, 1942, Hideki Tojo established the Greater East Asia Ministry despite objections from the Foreign Minister, leading to further tensions within the government.

After the tide of the war turned against Japan, Hideki Tojo resigned as prime minister on July 18, 1944. He was later arrested, convicted of war crimes, and sentenced to death.

After Japan's surrender in 1945, Hideki Tojo was arrested by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur for suspected war crimes. Tojo attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest but survived.

Brigadier General Bonner Fellers met with Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai on March 6, 1946, and expressed the importance of proving Emperor Hirohito's innocence during the trials. Fellers suggested that Tojo should bear all responsibility to protect the Emperor.

During his testimony at the tribunal on December 31, 1947, Hideki Tojo momentarily strayed from the agreed-upon line concerning imperial innocence and referred to the Emperor's ultimate authority. The prosecution immediately arranged for him to recant this testimony.

Hideki Tojo, after being convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in the Tokyo Trials, was sentenced to death and hanged on December 23, 1948. His legacy is intertwined with Japan's warmongering brutality during the early Shōwa era.

In the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora!, Hideki Tojo is portrayed by Asao Uchida at various events leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack.

The Grave of the Seven Martyrs in Hazu, Aichi, where Hideki Tojo's grave is located, was the site of a bombing attack by the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front in October 1971. The grave also holds the remains of other Class A war criminals.

In 1978, General Tôjô Hideki's name, along with thirteen other 'class A' war criminals, was commemorated at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. This sparked controversy among citizens who opposed honoring those they believed had brought disaster to Japan.

In the 1981 film The Imperial Japanese Empire, Hideki Tojo is portrayed by Tetsurō Tamba as a family man who single-handedly planned the war against America, and the film deals with his war crimes trial.

A 1997 survey of university students in China asked about the person they associate with Japanese people, and most mentioned Hideki Tojo. This reflects anti-Japanese sentiment in China.

In the 1998 Japanese film Pride, Hideki Tojo was portrayed as a national hero forced into war by the West and then executed after a rigged trial.

In the 2004 biopic Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, Hideki Tojo is portrayed by Kelly Dorji.

In the 2012 film Emperor, Hideki Tojo is played by Shōhei Hino.

In the 2019 film Midway, Hideki Tojo is portrayed by Hiromoto Ida.