Released memo points to Hirohito's role in Pearl Harbor raid
TOKYO –
A newly released memo by a wartime Japanese official provides what a historian says is the first look at the thinking of Emperor Hirohito and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo on the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the U.S. into World War II. While far from conclusive, the five-page document lends credence to the view that Hirohito bears at least some responsibility for starting the war.
The memo supports the view that Hirohito was not as concerned about waging war on the U.S. as was once portrayed, Takahisa Furukawa, a Nihon University expert on wartime history said. The emperor had endorsed the government’s decision to scrap diplomatic options at a Dec. 1 meeting, and his unchanged position the day before the attack reassured Tojo.
“If His Majesty had any regret over negotiations with Britain and the U.S., he would have looked somewhat grim. There was no such indication, which must be a result of his determination. Tojo is a bureaucrat who was incapable of making his own decisions, so he turned to the emperor as his supervisor. That’s why he had to report everything for the emperor to decide. If the emperor didn’t say no, then he would proceed,” Furukawa said.
Tojo is quoted as saying in the memo. “I’m completely relieved. Given the current conditions, I could say we have practically won already.” His optimism was misplaced. The Pearl Harbor attack killed nearly 2,400 U.S. servicemen and caused major damage to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Within months, however, the tide was turning. Tojo was blamed for prolonging the war after it was clearly lost, leading to the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. He was later executed as Class-A war criminal.
https://triblive.com/usworld/world/13909157-74/released-memo-points-to-hirohitos-role-in-pearl-harbor-raid
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