Konoe Fumimaro, Prince

Konoe Fumimaro, Prince (1891–1945),Japanese politician from the noble line of Fujiwara who served as prime minister, during two critical times in Japan's war with China (seeChina incident). The eldest son of a prominent politician, he was born in Tokyo and lost his parents at an early age. He studied philosophy first at Tokyo and then at Kyoto universities, and as a prince of the blood became a member of the upper house of Japan's parliament (Diet), the House of Peers, in 1916, and accompanied Saionji Kinmochi (1849–1940), Japan's plenipotentiary, to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 (see Versailles settlement). At that time he published a famous article, ‘I reject the peace principles dictated by Britain and the United States’. In 1933 Konoe became president of the House of Peers and gradually came into association with the military leaders.

He became prime minister for the first time in June 1937 and led the country through the early stages of the war in China which saw many military victories, but he and his foreign ministers then failed to capitalize on these by entering into negotiations with Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government in China. In November 1938 he announced his scheme for a new order in East Asia (see Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere) in which Japan would play the leading part. In the following January, Konoe who had come under great criticism for failing to resolve the China problem diplomatically in spite of the military successes, resigned in frustration, but formed a second cabinet in July 1940. Almost immediately he set about forming the Taisei Yokusankai (Imperial Rule Assistance Association), a semi-fascist organization which was intended to contrive a merger between political parties (see also Japan, 3). His cabinet entered into the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in September but early in 1941 it took steps to enter into negotiations with the USA (see USA, 1). His foreign minister, Matsuoka Yōsuke, decided to visit Japan's European allies and concluded a Neutrality Pact with the USSR on his return journey (see also Japanese–Soviet campaigns). The contradictions between these various policies led to divisions within the cabinet and to its resignation in July in order to get rid of Matsuoka. Konoe's third cabinet was then formed with a new foreign minister and this concentrated on peace negotiations with the USA. When these did not succeed and the Washington authorities froze Japanese funds, Konoe offered to visit the USA for direct talks with Roosevelt. The proposal was rejected and the cabinet resigned in October; Konoe rejoined the imperial court as an adviser. Towards the end of the war Konoe feared a communist revolution and advocated bringing hostilities to a speedy conclusion in order to preserve the imperial family. After the war, when the question of war guilt was under discussion, he was taken into custody by the Allies but committed suicide in prison on 16 December 1945 before he could be arraigned at the Far East war crimes trials.

Ian Nish

Bibliography

Nish, I. H. , Japanese Foreign Policy, 1869–1942 (London, 1977), ch. 11, 12.
Yoshitake Oka , Konoe Fumimaro: A Political Biography (Tokyo, 1983).