Naruhiko Higashikuni: The Imperial Leader Who Disbanded the Armed Forces

Abstract

Naruhiko Higashikuni was born as the ninth son of Prince Asahiko Kuninomiya in Kyoto Gyoen on 3 December 1887.

Naruhiko Higashikuni was born as the ninth son of Prince Asahiko Kuninomiya in Kyoto Gyoen on 3 December 1887. After graduating from the Army War College, Higashikuni joined the Imperial Army in 1914.¹ In 1915, Higashikuni as a solider prince was married to the youngest sister of the Meiji Emperor² and he moved to France to study military tactics.³ Higashikuni served as Chief of the Army Aeronautical in 1937, Commander of the Second Army in 1938, Army General in 1939, and Supreme Commander of the Defense Forces in 1941.⁴ On 7 September 1941, Higashikuni was opposed to the idea of waging war against the United States, and directly advised Minister of War Hideki Tojo, who had insisted on the necessity of the war against the United States under the Fumimaro Konoe administration, to resign from the Cabinet.⁵ During the war Higashikuni served as a military chief of the Imperial Army and he did not allow his subordinates to kill prisoners of war including American pilots. He also opposed sending his subordinates for suicide attack missions.⁶

Two days after Japan expressed its will to accept the Potsdam Declaration on 15 August 1945, Higashikuni as a cousin of Emperor Hirohito became prime minister at the age of 57, succeeding Kantaro Suzuki. It was the first time a member of the Japanese Imperial family held office. In the Higashikuni Cabinet, Prince Fumimaro Konoe, who was prime minister at the time of the 1937 Sino-Japanese War, served as a cabinet minister without portfolio, and Mamoru Shigemitsu was appointed as foreign minister.⁷ Immediately after becoming premier as well as concurrent war minister, Higashikuni issued an order for all the Japanese troops to strictly obey the Emperor’s rescript for a ‘ceasefire’ and to return to ‘peace’, stating all officers and men of the Imperial Army who fought in the war ‘must now lay down their arms in profound sorrow’.⁸ In this way, Higashikuni played an indispensable role in demobilizing the Japanese imperial troops without rebellious actions.

On 1 September 1945, Higashikuni stated that the military domination over Japanese politics had ended. He called for the entire Japanese people to ‘repent fully’ as the first step for reconstruction of war-devastated Japanese society and its relationship with other countries in the world. As prime minister, Higashikuni expected the Japanese people to ‘realize how thoroughly they had been defeated’ in the war.⁹ However, Higashikuni has been criticized for obscuring the war responsibility of political leaders by including the entire Japanese people who were not directly responsible for waging the war.¹⁰

On 2 September 1945, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu as a representative of Japan signed the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ on the deck of the US battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay where representatives of the Allied Powers, including General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, attended. With the imperial receipt on the signing of the Instrument of Surrender, the Higashikuni government formally terminated the Asia Pacific War on that day.¹¹

On 5 September 1945, Higashikuni delivered an administrative policy speech before the both Lower and Upper Houses of the Diet in order to explain the reasons for the defeat, calling for national repentance by the entire Japanese people. Higashikuni stated:

We should rather reflect calmly upon our own conduct, each and every one of us, whether on the front or at home, whether in or out of the Government. A general repentance is demanded of the whole nation. We should purify [words missing] and start anew with fresh and chastened spirit, keeping in mind the lessons of the past.¹²

In the statement, Higashikuni reconfirmed Japan’s defeat in the Greater East Asia War (daitoa senso) and used words that include the term ‘peace’ (heiwa) ten times in the original manuscript written in Japanese, although he never referred to the attack on Pearl Harbor.¹³ As for the causes of the defeat, the prime minister previously mentioned that the ‘atomic bomb’ and the Emperor’s ‘love of the people’ made Japan to surrender.¹⁴ Yet, Higashikuni officially stated that ‘there are certainly more than one and they may well be left to historians of afterdays for unbiased study and criticism’,¹⁵ although he referred to the limitation of Japan’s national strength, reduction of transportation capacity, limited resources, the air raids, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the sudden entry into the war by the Soviet Union.¹⁶ Notably, The New York Times deliberately did not include terms ‘cruel’ and ‘inhumane’ in the statement to describe the nature of the atomic bombs. It is fair to argue that Higashikuni eschewed blaming certain persons for war responsibility, while the US media seemed to dilute the cruelty and inhumanity of the use of the atomic bombs.¹⁷

Internationally, the war responsibility of the Japanese militarists was described as ‘unregenerate militarism’ especially in the context of the Pearl Harbor attack.¹⁸ Meanwhile, the Higashikuni government was expected to make a list of possible war criminals, although it was criticized by some antimilitaristic intellectuals that ‘the empire’s warlords are preparing their own list of war criminals’.¹⁹ As possible war criminals, Hideki Tojo as prime minister during the Pearl Harbor attack, Prince Fumimaro Konoe, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu were considered to be included on the list. It was also reported that the inclusion of Emperor Hirohito as a possible war criminal on the list was suggested.²⁰ In the meanwhile, Higashikuni stated that a general election should be held based on new ideas, such as freedom of expression, because the previous administrations placed restrictions on press and speech leading the country to the war.²¹

On 14 September 1945, Higashikuni asked a question to the United States, stating ‘people of America, won’t you forget Pearl Harbor? We Japanese people will forget the picture of devastation wrought by the atomic bomb and will start entirely anew as a peace-loving nation’.²² His remark led to an icy response with disagreement, noting ‘the case is not so simple and this is not precisely what will happen… The kind of regret which Prince Higashi-Kuni expresses falls short of repentance’, stressing that ‘it is too soon to forget’, especially given the situations of the ‘starved, abused and tortured war prisoners, now being released from their Japanese-created hells’.²³

On 18 September 1945, Higashikuni promised that the government would abolish the Ministries of War and the Navy and limit the influence of the House of Peers in a gradual and democratic process. Higashikuni also made it clear that he was not informed of the plan of the Pearl Harbor attack, because it had been a ‘state secret’ under the Tojo administration. Higashikuni moreover noted that Emperor Hirohito was probably not informed of the plan either.²⁴ The New York Times called the War and Navy Ministries ‘hotbeds of Japanese chauvinism’ and dubbed the reforms under the Higashikuni administration instructed by the Allied Power as the ‘re-education of Japan’.²⁵ In the middle of the re-education program, Higashikuni invited foreign missionaries to his official residence to personally apologize for their ‘inconveniences and unpleasant experiences’, insisting that hatred should be removed and all people should love each other.²⁶

The re-education of Japan led to the resignation of the Higashikuni Cabinet, however. Higashikuni attempted to release political criminals who had been in jails due to their political thoughts including communists, but his plan faced opposition inside his cabinet. In the meantime, General MacArthur ‘ordered’ the Higashikuni administration to conduct political reforms regarding civil liberties, such as freedom of expression on 4 October 1945.²⁷ On the next day, Higashikuni, who ‘lost face’ and felt powerless due to the decision of MacArthur, presented the resignation of his entire Cabinet to Emperor Hirohito. As a result of the reform, Japan’s ‘thought control’ was terminated, and freedom of expression and religion was guaranteed.²⁸ In the middle of the re-education, Higashikuni defended Emperor Hirohito, explaining that the Emperor signed the imperial rescript to order wagning war ‘almost twelve hours after the Japanese bombers had dropped their explosives on the American Fleet’.²⁹

The Higashikuni government’s most noteworthy achievement was the disbandment of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. It was a smooth and non-bloody process, and it should be noted that Higashikuni’s unique status as a former Army General and a member of the Imperial family was influential in successfully controlling the military disbandment process despite the dissatisfaction and disappointment among soldiers.³⁰ Higashikuni retired from politics in 1946, and was purged the same year. After trying some business ventures that resulted in failure, he became a Buddhist priest and established a religious organization, called Higashikuni Kyo on 15 April 1950 to ‘share the joy of faith with everyone and to cooperate with all people who want peace’.³¹ On 20 January 1990, Higashikuni passed away at the age of 102.³²

The peace philosophy of Higashikuni is observable in his administrative policy speech as discussed in this chapter. In the speech, Higashikuni referred to words that contain the term ‘peace’ 10 times, including the phrase ‘world peace’ (sekai heiwa), ‘peace of the world’ (sekai no heiwa), and ‘everlasting peace’ (eien no heiwa).³³ Also, Higashikuni attempted to establish a religious organization, originally named ‘Peace Teaching’ (heiwa-kyo) to abolish war and attain peace by transcending the differences of religions and facilitating inter-religious dialogue.³⁴ As a reflection of the peace philosophy of Higashikuni, there is the Higashi-kuninomiya Peace Award of the Study Group of Invention and Intellectual Property,³⁵ and the Higashi-kuninomiya International Culture Award of the Higashi-kuninomiya Memorial Foundation that promotes invention and innovative discovery.³⁶ Notably, the international cultural award was named after Higashikuni with a view to nurturing ‘peace philosophy’ that can contribute to world peace.³⁷ This way, the peace philosophy of Higashikuni has been passed down from generation to generation.

FormalPara Notes

• 1. National Diet Library. 2013. ‘Higashikuni Naruhiko’. Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures. https://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/349.html (accessed 22 April 2020).

• 2. New York Times. 1915. May 18. ‘Japanese Princess Weds in Splendor’, p. 13.

• 3. New York Times. 1945. August 17. ‘Cousin of Hirohito Forms New Japanese Government’, p. 1.

• 4. National Diet Library. 2013. ‘Higashikuni Naruhiko’. Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures. https://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/349.html (accessed 22 April 2020).

• 5. Higashikuni, Naruhiko. 1968. ‘Higashikuni Nikki (Diary of Higashikuni)’. In Sato, Motoei, ed. 2012. Higashikuninomiya Naruhikoo (Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni). Tokyo: Yumani Shobo, p. 84.

• 6. Iokibe, Makoto. 2007. Senryoki: Shusho tachino Shin Nihon (The Occupation Period: A New Japan of the Prime Ministers). Tokyo: Kodansha, p. 32.

• 7. New York Times. 1945. August 17. ‘Cousin of Hirohito Forms New Japanese Government’, p. 1.

• 8. New York Times. 1945. August 18. ‘Prince Maps Plans’, p. 1.

• 9. New York Times. 1945. September 2. ‘Japanese Sees End of Military Rule’, p. 10.

• 10. Hatano, Sumio. 2012. ‘Higashikuni Naruhiko’. In Watanabe, Akio, ed. 2012. Sengo Nihon no Saishotachi (The Prime Ministers of Postwar Japan). Tokyo: Chuo Koron, p. 14.

• 11. National Diet Library. 2003–2004. ‘Imperial Rescript on the Signing of the Instrument of Surrender, September 2, 1945’. https://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/shiryo/01/021shoshi.html (accessed 23 April 2020).

• 12. New York Times. 1945. September 6. ‘Japanese Premier’s Talk to Diet on Reasons for Defeat’, p. 3.

• 13. Higashikuni, Naruhiko. 1945. September 5. ‘Administrative Policy Speech at the 88th Imperial Diet Session’. https://worldjpn.grips.ac.jp/documents/texts/pm/19450905.SWJ.html (accessed 23 April 2020).

• 14. New York Times. 1945. August 28. ‘Atom Bomb Did It, Enemy Prince Says’, p. 3.

• 15. New York Times. 1945. September 6. ‘Japanese Premier’s Talk to Diet on Reasons for Defeat’, p. 3.

• 16. Ibid.

• 17. Ibid.

• 18. New York Times. 1945. September 7. ‘Unregenerate Militarism’, p. 22.

• 19. New York Times. 1945. September 9. ‘Japanese Prepare List of Criminals’, p. 3.

• 20. Ibid.

• 21. New York Times. 1945. August 29. ‘General Election Planned in Japan’, p. 2.

• 22. New York Times. 1945. September 15. ‘Higashi-Kuni Bids U.S. Forget Dec. 7’, p. 4.

• 23. New York Times. 1945. September 15. ‘It Is too Soon to Forget’, p. 14.

• 24. Trumbull, Robert. 1945. September 9. ‘Japan “Punishing” Her War Criminals’. New York Times, pp. 1, 4.

• 25. New York Times. 1945. September 20. ‘The Re-education of Japan’, p. 22.

• 26. New York Times. 1945. September 21. ‘Higashi-Kuni Apologizes to Foreign Missionaries’, p. 3.

• 27. Murakami, Hiroaki. 2013. ‘Higashikuni Naruhiko’. In Mikuriya, Takashi, ed. 2013. Rekidai Shusho Monogatari (Stories of Japanese Prime Ministers). Tokyo: Shinshokan, p. 147.

• 28. New York Times. 1945. October 5. ‘Tokyo Cabinet Out: M’Arthur Repeals “Thought Control”’, pp. 1, 3.

• 29. Parrott, Lindesay. 1945. October 9. ‘Hirohito Defended on Pearl Harbor’. New York Times, p. 10.

• 30. Murakami, Hiroaki. 2013. ‘Higashikuni Naruhiko’. In Mikuriya, Takashi, ed. 2013. Rekidai Shusho Monogatari (Stories of Japanese Prime Ministers). Tokyo: Shinshokan, p. 146.

• 31. New York Times. 1950. April 16. ‘Japanese Prince Turns Priest’, p. 4.

• 32. New York Times. 1990. January 22. ‘Naruhiko Higashikuni, 102, Dies’, p. D22.

• 33. Higashikuni, Naruhiko. 1945. September 5. ‘Administrative Policy Speech at the 88th Imperial Diet Session’. https://worldjpn.grips.ac.jp/documents/texts/pm/19450905.SWJ.html (accessed 23 April 2020).

• 34. Higashikuni, Naruhiko. 1955. ‘Yancha Kodoku (Naughty and Lonely)’. In Sato, Motoei, ed. 2012. Higashikuninomiya Naruhikoo (Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni). Tokyo: Yumani Shobo, p. 191.

• 35. Yoshimura, Yasuhiro. 2020. ‘Higashi-kuninomiya Heiwasho Sosetsu no Yurai (The Origin of the Creation of the Higashi-kuninomiya Peace Award’. https://hachiken.jimdofree.com/東久邇宮記念会/東久邇宮平和賞/東久邇宮平和賞創設と由来/ (accessed 27 April 2020).

• 36. Higashi-Kuninomiya International Culture Award. 2020. ‘English Guidance of Higashi-Kuninomiya International Culture Award’. https://www.higashikuniprize.org/english/index.html (accessed 27 April 2020).

• 37. Yoshimura, Yasuhiro. 2020. ‘Higashi-kuninomiya Heiwasho Sosetsu no Yurai (The Origin of the Creation of the Higashi-kuninomiya Peace Award’. https://hachiken.jimdofree.com/東久邇宮記念会/東久邇宮平和賞/東久邇宮平和賞創設と由来/ (accessed 27 April 2020).