SNA (Tokyo) — In early 1940, moderate Navy Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai was selected by Emperor Hirohito in a final effort to head off military conflict with the Anglo-American powers. However, Nazi Germany’s rapid defeat of France soon undermined Yonai’s authority by convincing Japanese militarists that the nation was losing a historic opportunity for changing the international order. Transcript On January 16, 1940, Mitsumasa Yonai became prime minister of Japan. The nation had done reasonably well in the past when led by moderate Imperial Navy admirals, and he was another premier along these fam ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — For a short period in 1939-1940, little-known Imperial Army General Nobuyuki Abe took over leadership of the nation just as World War II broke out in Europe. Abe kept Japan out of the war but was unable to establish a firm political foundation for his government. Transcript On August 30, 1939, Nobuyuki Abe became prime minister of Japan. Although he was an Imperial Army General, his appointment to the top office was unexpected. He was little known within senior political circles. Two days after he became premier, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, starting World W ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — In 1939, rightwing ideologue Kiichiro Hiranuma came to power, but he refrained from attempting to institute any major policy changes. However, he soon presided over a series of disasters, each of which clearly indicated that Japan’s military-led foreign policy had miscalculated fundamental realities. Transcript On January 5, 1939, Kiichiro Hiranuma became prime minister of Japan. Hiranuma had originally made his career through the Ministry of Justice and the law courts, and he was one of the nation’s most prominent rightwing ideologues, sometimes regarded as being a Japanese fas ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1934-1936, Keisuke Okada became the second consecutive moderate admiral to serve as prime minister, though on a weaker political footing than his predecessor. Still, he managed to stay on top of the situation until Imperial Army radicalism led to a violent uprising by junior officers. Transcript On July 8, 1934, Keisuke Okada became prime minister of Japan. He was a moderate Imperial Navy admiral replacing a moderate Navy admiral as Japan’s premier. He was noted for his good sense of judgment and his impoverished personal economic status. Okada aimed to lead the country muc ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1932-1934, Admiral Makoto Saito served as prime minister, ending political party rule but nevertheless trying to steer a relatively moderate path. In foreign policy, however, his administration continued to antagonize the West, including through Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations. Transcript On May 26, 1932, Makoto Saito became prime minister of Japan. As an Imperial Navy admiral who was not a member of a political party, his ascension to the top office was the end of the more democratic period represented by the previous six premierships. Saito, however, was a r ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1931-1932, veteran politician Tsuyoshi Inukai served as prime minister, attempting to manage the multifaceted international crisis. While he made significant progress in coping with the Great Depression, the military slipped entirely out of control. A group of young officers effectively ended this period in Japanese democracy with direct political violence. Transcript On December 13, 1931, Tsuyoshi Inukai became prime minister of Japan. Like his immediate predecessor he had a mountain of challenges to face, and his own party—the Constitutional Association of Political Frien ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — In 1931, Reijiro Wakatsuki again took over the post of prime minister from a stronger predecessor, but this time the deck was in any case stacked against any prospect for political success. The nation was sinking into the depths of the Great Depression, and the government lost control of young officers in the Imperial Army, who launched a conquest of Manchuria which had never been authorized by Tokyo. Transcript On April 14, 1931, Reijiro Wakatsuki returned to office as prime minister of Japan. As had been the case five years earlier when he had become prime minister for the fir ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1929-1931, the Lion Prime Minister Osachi Hamaguchi brought strength and determination to the more liberal forces in Japan, effectively staring down a challenge from radical officers in the Imperial Navy. His economic policy regarding the Great Depression was equally strong and decisive, but unfortunately quite mistaken. Before his error had become entirely clear, however, he was wounded and ultimately killed by an assassin’s bullet. Transcript On July 2, 1929, Osachi Hamaguchi became prime minister of Japan. He was sometimes called the Lion Prime Minister for his dignity ..read more

  SNA (Tokyo) — From 1927-1929, Imperial Army-officer-turned-politician Giichi Tanaka attempted to guide Japan with a firm hand, aiming to crush radicalism at home and to use the iron fist in China. This hardline turn was resisted on many fronts, but the biggest problem emerged from the Army itself, which was slipping away from political control. Transcript On April 20, 1927, Giichi Tanaka became prime minister of Japan. Tanaka was the fourth and final direct protege of the late Genro Aritomo Yamagata to rise to the highest office, and while he shared the conservative outlook of his pred ..read more

SNA (Tokyo) — From 1926-1927, Reijiro Wakatsuki led Japan’s ruling party, but his tendency to shy away from confrontations helped put him in a weaker position than his predecessor. As the new Emperor Hirohito began his reign, a careless comment by the finance minister triggered a run on banks. Transcript On January 30, 1926, Reijiro Wakatsuki became prime minister of Japan. He possessed a long and distinguished career as a law scholar, bureaucrat, and minister, and upon Takaaki Kato’s death he had little difficulty becoming his successor as leader of the Constitutional Politics Association an ..read more