Soon after, in his cabinet Hirota resumed the system to appoint military officers on the active list only to the posts of war and naval ministers. In this way, whenever the General Headquarters failed to agree with the government, war and naval ministers could resign to bring down the cabinet. Thus the government was actually at the General Headquarters" beck and call, and a fascist regime centered on the Emperor as well as the General Headquarters was established in Japan.
Hirota"s cabinet made a state policy of "ensuring the empire"s standing in East Asia on the one hand, and expanding southward to the Pacific Ocean on the other hand." Thus Japan began all-out arms expansion and war preparations. The army and the navy drew up their colossal five-year plans respectively to prepare for war, while strengthening control on speech and industries. In a strict sense, it"s Hirota who started the national mobilization for war.
In October 1936 the Financial Minister in Hirota"s cabinet openly declared that Japan had entered the "semi-wartime phase." A month later, Japan and Germany concluded the Anti-Comintern Pact, forming a political alliance in the anti-Communist guise. This was a long step toward entering into international fascist alliance.
Extension of the aggression war on China
Hirota resigned his position as Prime Minister in January 1937. He was then appointed in June Foreign Minister in Fumimaro Konoye"s cabinet. After the Lugouqiao Incident, he participated in making the decision to extend the aggression war, and was one of the chief plotters for Japan"s all-out invasion into China.
In the early phase of the war, German Ambassador to China Oskar Trautmann mediated between China and Japan. After the Japanese army captured Nanjing, its Foreign Ministry raised harsh terms that bordered upon demanding surrender, which the Chinese side could never accept. The way of negotiation was actually blocked, and Trautmann"s mediation failed. Afterwards, the Japanese government stated that it didn"t take the National Government as its counterpart, closing the door to negotiate with China. The two countries thus entered protracted warfare.
In 1940 Hirota acted as a counselor in Yonai Mitsumasa"s cabinet. The same year he became president of the cabinet planning board under Fumimaro Konoye, entitled to select Prime Minister candidates to set up a cabinet. Since then he was involved in forming all cabinets until Japan"s defeat in 1945. Therefore he had unshirkable responsibility for extending the aggression war on China, naming Hideki Tojo as Prime Minister and starting the Pacific War.
Prior to Japan"s defeat, Hirota held a secret meeting with the Soviet Union Ambassador to Japan Yakov Malik, trying to strive for favorable terms of surrender for his country. But he ultimately failed. In December 1945 he was arrested by the Allied forces stationed in Japan.
In March 1946 the International Military Tribunal for the Far East named Hirota a Class-A war criminal. According to the tribunal, over a long time Hirota had been either in charge of Japan"s diplomacy or involved in making diplomatic decisions. Therefore he undertook direct, colossal responsibility for Japan"s invading China, forming fascist alliance with Germany and Italy and unleashing the Pacific War. The defense counsel argued that the Japanese General Headquarters should take full responsibility for the war and Hirota had been advocating settling disputes through diplomatic negotiations. The tribunal decided that Hirota had been a very powerful figure in the Japanese government. During his tenure of office, he either supported or even designed the aggression plans adopted and implemented by the General Headquarters and all previous cabinets. When engaging in negotiations, if Japan"s demands could not be met via diplomatic means, he had always been in favor of using force.
The tribunal also pointed out that during the time of the Nanjing Massacre, fully aware that tens of thousands of people were killed or raped in the city everyday, at cabinet councils Hirota as the then Foreign Minister didn"t suggest to take immediate measures to stop the atrocities. He committed a crime by neglecting his duties. Therefore, the tribunal found him guilty of anti-peace, anti-humanity and other crimes and sentenced him to be hanged. He was executed at Sugamo Prison on December 23, 1948.
