Fumimaro Konoe

Fumimaro Konoe was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1937 to 1939 and from 1940 to 1941. He presided over the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and the breakdown in relations with the United States, which ultimately culminated in Japan's entry into World War II. He also played a central role in transforming his country into a totalitarian state by passing the State General Mobilization Law and founding the Imperial Rule Assistance Association by dissolving all other political parties. He was a member of the noble Konoe family, one of the five regent houses of the imperial court. He was educated at Kyoto Imperial University and became a member of the House of Peers in 1916. He held various ministerial positions in the 1920s and 1930s, including foreign minister, education minister, and home minister. He was a supporter of the Pan-Asianism movement and advocated for Japan's expansion in Asia and cooperation with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. He tried to avoid a war with the United States by negotiating with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but failed to reach an agreement. He resigned as prime minister in October 1941 and was succeeded by Hideki Tojo, who led Japan into the attack on Pearl Harbor. Konoe remained influential in the government and served as the president of the Privy Council from 1943 to 1944. He was also involved in several plots to overthrow Tojo and end the war. He was summoned to testify before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East after Japan's surrender, but he committed suicide by taking cyanide at his home in Tokyo on December 16, 1945. He left a note that expressed his regret for his role in the war and his hope for Japan's reconstruction. He was buried at the Konoe family cemetery in Kyoto.