By Long Nguyen

Japanese Premier General Hideki Tojo led Japan into World War II against the United States.  He was popular in Japan during the 1930s and achieved national influence as chief of staff of Japan’s Kwantung Army.  He became the minister of war in 1940 and authorized the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 (“Tojo,” 2001).  Although many people believed he was a failure because Japan lost World War II, Tojo was a strong military leader.

Tojo was more experienced in political aspects of army life than in combat.  He became the leader of militarists in Japan and despised what he considered to be weak politicians.  In 1940, when he became the minister of war, he was the most powerful leader in the government during World War II.  Tojo ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor and pushed the Japanese offensive in China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific ("Hideki Tojo," 2001.)  He ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor because he thought that if war broke out between U.S. and Japan, the Japanese Navy could be sunk in a couple weeks by a strong U.S. Navy (Simkin, 1997).

Japan enjoyed the success they had at Pearl Harbor, which strengthened Tojo’s standing in Japan.   Tojo also gained power and popularity later in the war when the British surrendered at Singapore and when U.S. General Douglas Mc Author withdrew American troops from the Philippines. 

General Hideki Tojo

Tojo never became a dictator like Hitler and Mussolini, but he gained more power as the war went on. He strengthened the powers of Imperial Rule Assistance Association, a body established to convey governmental orders in the Population. However, Toward the end of 1944 and in 1945, Japanese forces began to loose the war against the United States.  The U.S. eventually led many bombing raids on Japan.  This made Tojo upset (“Tojo,” 2001).

On August 6, 1945, the U.S. gave Japan an ultimatum of surrendering.  Japan ignored it and U.S. was forced to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Tojo surrendered. After the war, however, when Tojo was in prison between 1945 and 1948, he kept a diary.  In his diary he explained why Japan was involved in World War II and why he attacked Pearl Harbor.  His diary also said that he wanted Japan to make peace with China through American mediation.  He wanted to avoid war with Soviet Union and to strengthen the Russo-Japanese Neutrality treaty.  He also wanted to maintain international peace and restore Japan’s power.  None of these things, however, happened (“Tojo,” 2001).

After the war, he attempted suicide but failed.  He was nursed back to health and arrested by the Allies as a war criminal.  He was tried and hanged on December 23,1948.