Fumimaro Konoe (12 Oct. 1891 - 16 Dec. 1945)
Konoe served as Prime Minister of Japan before their formal joining of the Second World War, beginning the Second Sino-Japanese War. He returned to the role as Prime Minister in 1940, further promoting the war in China and alliance with Germany, sealed in the Tripartite Pact of that year. Konoe’s Foreign Minister later signed a neutrality pact with the Soviet Union, with German help.
Konoe’s feelers to avoid war with the United States produced a document suggesting lasting peace between the two nations. However, the document was not drafted by either side’s high-ranking individuals, and the United States refused to negotiate with the Japanese. The way in which this occurred behind the back of the Foreign Minister caused huge upset.
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the fallout of this furthered, with Matsuoka, the Foreign Minister, telling Moscow that the Axis meant more than the neutrality pact. Konoe resigned, but would later re-establish a government without Matsuoka. The new Foreign Minister later informed Moscow that their neutrality pact would be honoured, thereby diffusing a potential war with the Soviet Union.
Whilst this was happening, Japanese forces invaded French Indochina, leading to embargoes and asset freezing by the US, Britain and the Dutch. Konoe was trying to avoid war with the US, however with the embargo on oil, needed by Japan, war was deemed almost necessary. He had feelers to the president, but these came to nothing in the end. After all his attempts to avert war failed, he resigned in 1941, succeeded by Tojo. He would later be partly responsible for the fall of Tojo’s government in 1944.
For more information on Fumimaro Konoe:
Okamoto, Shumpei et. al. trns. Oka, Yoshitake. Konoe Fumimaro: A Political Biography (Tokyo: University of Tokyo), 1983.
Konoe’s feelers to avoid war with the United States produced a document suggesting lasting peace between the two nations. However, the document was not drafted by either side’s high-ranking individuals, and the United States refused to negotiate with the Japanese. The way in which this occurred behind the back of the Foreign Minister caused huge upset.
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the fallout of this furthered, with Matsuoka, the Foreign Minister, telling Moscow that the Axis meant more than the neutrality pact. Konoe resigned, but would later re-establish a government without Matsuoka. The new Foreign Minister later informed Moscow that their neutrality pact would be honoured, thereby diffusing a potential war with the Soviet Union.
Whilst this was happening, Japanese forces invaded French Indochina, leading to embargoes and asset freezing by the US, Britain and the Dutch. Konoe was trying to avoid war with the US, however with the embargo on oil, needed by Japan, war was deemed almost necessary. He had feelers to the president, but these came to nothing in the end. After all his attempts to avert war failed, he resigned in 1941, succeeded by Tojo. He would later be partly responsible for the fall of Tojo’s government in 1944.
For more information on Fumimaro Konoe:
Okamoto, Shumpei et. al. trns. Oka, Yoshitake. Konoe Fumimaro: A Political Biography (Tokyo: University of Tokyo), 1983.