Hideki Tōjō

Hideki Tōjō was a General in the Imperial Japanese Army, a nationalist thinker, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan.

Sourced

• It goes without saying that when survival is threatened, struggles erupt between peoples, and unfortunate wars between nations result.
  • Quoted in "The Journal of Historical Review"‎ - Page 34 - by Institute for Historical Review (U.S.) - History - 1992

• Justice has nothing to do with victor nations and vanquished nations, but must be a moral standard that all the world's peoples can agree to. To seek this and to achieve it - that is true civilization.
  • Quoted in "The Journal of Historical Review‎" - by Institute for Historical Review (U.S.) - History - 1992

• The reason was the failure of both Japan and China to understand each other and the inability of America and the European powers to sympathize, without prejudice, with the peoples of East Asia.
  • Quoted in "The Journal of Historical Review"‎ - Page 43 - by Institute for Historical Review (U.S.) - History - 1992

• If one of you should detect any dissatisfaction or unsettled feeling within your (the governors’) jurisdiction, you should take immediate and concrete steps for the complete removal of these elements ... Now the people of our nation must endure their inconveniences and overcome painful hardships in order to win this war.
  • Broadcast speech, as quoted in Fourth International Vol.5 No.2 (February 1944)

• The moment the first American soldier sets foot on the Japanese mainland, all prisoners of war will be shot.
  • Note signed by Tojo (June 1945), left at a camp during the Bataan Death March. Possible forgery since Tojo was no longer in power for over a year at the time of the discovery. Also, the Japanese homeland was not threatened with invasion at the time and it was common sense that the Philippines would be attacked before.

• It is natural that I should bear entire responsibility for the war in general, and, needless to say, I am prepared to do so. Consequently, now that the war has been lost, it is presumably necessary that I be judged so that the circumstances of the time can be clarified and the future peace of the world be assured. Therefore, with respect to my trial, it is my intention to speak frankly, according to my recollection, even though when the vanquished stands before the victor, who has over him the power of life and death, he may be apt to toady and flatter. I mean to pay considerable attention to this in my actions, and say to the end that what is true is true and what is false is false. To shade one's words in flattery to the point of untruthfulness would falsify the trial and do incalculable harm to the nation, and great care must be taken to avoid this.
  • Written in his prison diary

• When reflecting upon it today, that the Pearl Harbor attack should have succeeded in achieving surprise seems a blessing from Heaven. It was clear that a great American fleet had been concentrated in Pearl Harbor, and we supposed that the state of alert would be very high.
  • Written in his prison diary

About Tōjō

• There was little public sympathy for Tōjō in Japan in the post-war period. His responsibility for the war, his oppressive regime, and his failure to commit suicide turned him into a notorious figure. Later revelations about his personal integrity, impeccable family life, devotion to duty, and loyalty to the emperor somewhat improved his image.
  • Professor Ben-Ami Shillony, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in The Oxford Companion to World War II (1995)

Satire

Japan Forms Alliance With White Supremacists in Well-Thought-Out Scheme
From the East Asian Correspondent, Sept 1, 1939. — In a course of action praised by many as "far-sighted" and "tactically brilliant," the Japanese government has sworn its allegiance to the Axis powers led by white-supremacist Nazi Germany. In a formal statement, Japanese leaders declared, "We wish to be counted among the loyal allies of this back-stabbing, racist hate nation."
Following the announcement, Japanese General and military leader Hideki Tojo told reporters, "We are pleased to enter into an alliance with the paranoid, xenophobic government of Nazi Germany. We anticipate a deeply enriching exchange of our military aid with their deep-seated hatred of our non-white heritage."

• • "Japan Forms Alliance With White Supremacists in Well-Thought-Out Scheme" a satirical false history article in Our Dumb Century (1999) by The Onion.