Press translations [Japan]. Political Series 0036, 1945-11-30.
Date30 November, 1945
translation numberpolitical-0141
call numberDS801 .S85
Persistent Identifier
POLITICAL SERIES: 36
ITEM 1 The Greater East Asia war investigating council - Mainichi Shimbun - 21 Nov 45. Translator: K. Murakami.
Full Translation:
The government was determined to clarify the real cause and aspects of the war defeat
by investigating the war in every aspect
such as politics, army, economics, thought and culture, etc., and it has decided to
establish the greater EAST ASIA War
Investigating Council under the premier. The government formed its official organization
at a. cabinet meeting held on 20
November, whose decisions are expected to be published shortly.
The object of this investigation is to anticipate the development of the Japanese
in the future. And the government took care
lest this investigation should be a cause of Internal friction.
The council will be composed of a president, a vice-president and 25 committee men.
But, if needed, extra committee man will
be appointed and other sections will be established in the council.
ITEM 2 Seven special witnesses for Gen.YAMASHITA to MANILA by air - Yomiuri Hochi - 21 Nov 45. Translator: H. Kato.
Summary:
In compliance with a court order to appear as witnesses for the defense of General
YAMASHITA, Tomoyuki, seven officers and
civilians who were friendly with YAMASHITA, and Mr. NISHIYAMA, Vice-Chief of the Central
Liaison Office, went to MANILA by air
from ATSUGI airport on 20 November. The names of the seven were as follows:
Lieutenant-General AMAKASU, Jutaro; colonel TAKAYAMA, Nobutake; Colonel HOSODA, Hiroshi;
Lieutenant-Colonel KUNITAKE; SUNADA,
Shigemasa; SAKAZAKI, Kensuke; and FURUTA, Yoshinaa, an attorney.
ITEM 3 Regular Cabinet Meeting on Nov 20 - Yomiuri Hochi - 21 Nov 45. Translator: H. Kato.
Full Translation:
A regular cabinet meeting was held at the residence of the Prime Minister at 1300
on 20 November. Prime Minister SHIDEHARA and
other ministers brought up the following points at the meeting.
POLITICAL SERIES; 36 (continued)
ITEM 3 (Continued)
- 1.Organization for examining the Far Eastern War.
- 2.Settlement of the Cabinet Deliberation Office.
- 3.Revision of the Registration Bureau Organization.
They closed the meeting with a discussion of the revision of the Agrarian Land system.
ITEM 4 His Majesty the Emperor, [illegible]Attack plan of Pearl Harbor In Advance -Mainichi Shimbun - 21 Nov 45. Translator: H. Naoji.
Full Translation:
According to the report submitted on 18 November to the committee investigating Pearl
Harbor, Rear-Admiral T. R. INGLIS, chief
of the Intelligence Service Section of the Navy, says the Emperor of JAPAN knew of
the attack plan of the Japanese task force
at PEARL HARBOR before it was executed. This report is based on the statement of a
Japanese naval officer in reply to the
questions of the Investigation Board of supreme Allied Headquarters. The officer also
made the following statements.
- 1.It is certain that all Japanese government officials, including Ambassadors NOMURA and KURUSU knew nothing about the PEARL HARBOR attack plan.
- 2.Captain TOMIOKA, Chief of the Operation Section of the Naval General Staff, said that if AMERICA had made a few concessions to JAPAN, PEARL HARBOR would not have happened.
- 3.Admiral NAGANO, Chief of Naval Operation at the time, testified that he had already resolved to attack PEARL HARBOR, in case of war, on 3 November 1941.
- 4.Commander, FUCHITA testified that the Japanese fleet was prepared to attack the American fleet if it could be found, but if not, preparations for withdrawal were to be made.
- 5.The attack was planned by the late Admiral, YAMAMOTO at the beginning of January in 1941, but it was not included in the general war plans of JAPAN.
In answer to one question of the investigating committee, Rear-Admiral INGLIS testified
that the man who had ordered most of
the American fleet into close formation at PEARL HARBOR must have been Admiral KING
himself.
ITEM 5 General_Honio ([illegible]) committed suicide - Asahi Shimbun - 21 Nov. 45. Translator: S. Fukuda.
Full Translation:
General HONJO, Shigeru, who was named as a war criminal in the Allied list, committed
suicide at about 1000 on 20 November as
the headquarters of the Society for Relief and Guidance of Demobilized Servicemen
(HODO - KAI HOMBU), located in the former
Army Staff College (KYU RIKUGUN DAIGAKU KU KO) in AOYAMA, AKASAKA-KU, TOKYO.
- 2 -
POLITICAL SERIES: 36 (Continued)
ITEM 5 (Continued)
General HONJO, in uniform, entered office of chief manager of the Army Society for
Relief and Guidance of Demobilized
servicemen at 0830. At about 0900, when he heard someone talk about the order for
his arrest, he is said to have stated
calmly, "I have been ready for this and I admit fully my responsibility in the war".
Secretary KAWAMURA, who entered the
general's room after that found that he had committed suicide by hara-kiri.
There was one letter to NUKADA, chief of the Bureau of personal Affairs of the War
Office, another to Secretary KAWAMURA and a
half piece of paper on which three Japanese characters of "Sei-I-Kan" (T.N.: Sincerity.)
written down.
Mrs. HONJO, Mume 49 years old, who has been living in an underground shelter, when
informed of the general's death said, "He
looked his usual self this morning. When I suggested that he take some extra clothing
in case of his arrest, he refused saying
that such things are unnecessary for a soldier".
General HONJO came from HYOGO KEN. After his retirement from active service, he was
president of the Military Protective Board
(Gunji Hogoin Sosai), and after the termination of the war; was director and head
of the Main Office of the Vocational
Guidance Society of Demobilized Servicemen (Fukuin Gunjin Shokugyo Hodokai Rijicho
Ken Honbucho). He became Privy Councillor
(Sumitsu Komokan) in May 1945.
He was given the First class Order of the Golden Kite and made a Baron by His Majesty;
At his death he was 70 years of
age.
The letter to Secretary KAWAMURA: "I beg you to inform my family that my son Kazuo
must not be notified of his succession to
peerage. Letters in a black leather hand bag in the closet of my Underground shelter,
are to be sent by mail. I beg you to
inform Mr. HAMANO of my death."
ITEM 6 Mayors All Over Country Resign - Tokyo Shimbun - 21 Nov 45. Translator: N. Tachibana.
Full Translation:
Since the termination of the war a good many mayors of cities have sent in their
resignations. Now this trend is continuing
and the number of cities without mayors is increasing day by day. The main cities
where the mayors' resigned are AKITA, ITAMI,
OGAKI, WAKAMATSU, NAOKATA, ASHIKAGA, BOFU, MURORAN, ONOMICHI, SAKAIDE, TOTTCRI, HIDA,
OITA, NOSHIRO, TSUZUKI, FUNAHASHI and
ODAHARA. They comprise more than ten per cent of 205 cities in the country proper.
The Home Ministry is calling upon the municipal assemblies to recommend mayors in
accordance with the existing local
administrative system. However, it seems that the mayors have resigned because they
believe that public servants should be
chosen on the basis of democratic elections. In view of this sentiment, the Home Ministry's
course of action in this regard is
being watched with keen interest.
The Home Ministry is striving to get new mayors in accordance with the existing law,
but some of the people are demanding
public elections of mayors on the ground that the mayor should not be determined by
the election of the municipal assembly, as
before.
- 3 -
POLITICAL SERIES: 36 (Continued)
ITEM 6 (Continued)
The Home Ministry has no concrete plan for new measures now. According to the existing
system, when a mayor sends his
resignation to the prefectural governor, the governor informs the Home Minister of
this and the Home Minister orders the
municipal assembly to recommend a new mayoralty candidate. The Home Ministry then
decides upon the candidate.
Actually the power of rejection is in the hands of the Home Ministry bureaucracy.
For example, the TACHIKAWA Municipal
Assembly, Tokyo, recommended Mr, SATO, Kumakichi in 1943, but he had been a leader
of the agrarian movement in the past, and
notwithstanding the demands of the municipal assembly, he was not appointed mayor.
The method of selecting and appointing
mayors under the new situation is becoming an vital question because of the large
number of resignations.
ITEM 7 Re the Tri-partite Fact - Mainichi Shimbun - 22 Nov 45. Translator: N. Tachibana.
Full Translation:
Mr. KURUSU Lays Bare The Truth About The Tri-partite Pact
According to a Tokyo dispatch Mr. KURUSU, former Japanese Ambassador Plenipotentiary
to the United States, indicated at his
villa at KARUIZAWA, that Mr. MATSUOKA, Yosuke and Mr. SHIRATORI, Toshio, who were
named as war criminals on 19 November, are
the ones responsible for concluding the Tri-Partite Pact.
Negotiations for concluding the pact were continued through the latter half of 1939.
In this connection the HIRANUMA Cabinet
held as many as eighty cabinet conferences but the problem was not settled. On the
other hand, Mr. SHIRATORI, then Japanese
Minister to Italy, and Lieutenant-General OSHIMA, Military Attache to GERMANY, were
making strenuous efforts to realize a
treaty of alliance in Europe.
I warned Mr. Ribbentrop, then GERMAN Foreign Minister, that if the Tri-Partite Pact
was concluded, the United states would
enter the European War, but leaders of the German government on the contrary, believed
that the United States would stick to
neutrality because of the Tri-Partite Pact. Soon after Mr. MATSUOKA was appointed
Foreign Minister, Mr. MATSUOKA, Mr.
SHIRATORI, and Mr. OSHIMA ventured, in spite of my opposition, to plan to have Mr.
STAHMER dispatched to TOKYO as HITLER's
special envoy. Mr. STAEMER succeeded in concluding the Tri-Partite Pact after his
arrival in TOKYO, and I was forced to sign
this treaty in BERLIN.
Mr. MATSUOKA and Mr. SHIRATORI seemed to believe that the Tri-Partite Pact would
frighten the United States into maintaining
neutrality, and, consequently, Japan would be able to push her imperialistic policies
without being threatened the flank.
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