Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni
He presided over the signing of the surrender on 2 September 1945 and the disbandment of the armed forces before resigning in opposition to an order by the Allied occupation authorities to abolish the Peace Preservation Law.[3] Konoe believed that only a member of the Imperial Family with a distinguished military background could restrain the pro-war faction led by Generals Hajime Sugiyama, Hideki Tōjō, and Akira Mutō.However, both Emperor Shōwa and the Lord Privy Seal, Kido Kōichi, believed that it would be inappropriate for a member of the Imperial Family to serve in that position, as he could be blamed for anything which went wrong in the war.In 1946, he explained this decision: "I actually thought Prince Higashikuni suitable as Chief of Staff of the Army; but I think the appointment of a member of the Imperial house to a political office must be considered very carefully.The American researchers with SCAP also found out that he had planned towards the end of the war to depose Emperor Shōwa, placing the Crown Prince Akihito on the throne instead, governing the country with himself as regent.[5] After the course of the war turned against Japan, and the decision was made to accept the Potsdam Declaration, the Emperor Shōwa appointed Prince Higashikuni to the prime minister on 17 August 1945, replacing navy Admiral Kantarō Suzuki.On 4 March 1946, Higashikuni gave a similar interview to the Associated Press (reported in The New York Times) indicating that he had proposed to the Emperor possible dates for abdication.In 1958, Higashikuni published his wartime journals under the title, Ichi Kozoku no Senso Nikki (or The War Diary of a Member of the Imperial Family).Higashikuni died of heart failure in Tokyo on 20 January 1990 at the age of 102 years, 48 days, having outlived his wife, two of his sons, his siblings, and his nephew, Emperor Shōwa.
Higashikuni-no-miyaJapanese namesurnameHis Imperial HighnessGeneralPrime Minister of JapanHirohitoKantarō SuzukiKijūrō ShideharaKyoto CityEmpire of JapanTokyo MetropolisIndependentToshiko, Princess YasuMorihiro HigashikuniAsahiko, Prince KuniAlma materImperial Japanese Army AcademyArmy War CollegeImperial PrinceOrder of the ChrysanthemumOrder of the Rising SunOrder of the Golden KiteImperial Japanese ArmyIJA 4th DivisionImperial Japanese Army Air ServiceIJA 2nd ArmyGeneral Defense CommandSecond Sino-Japanese WarWorld War IIPacific WarPrince HigashikuniHead of the House of HigashikuniNobuhiko HigashikuniRomanizationJapanese imperial familyPrince Kuni AsahikoEmperor MeijiEmperor HirohitoAllied occupationPeace Preservation LawPrince Fushimi KuniieFushimi-no-miyasesshu shinnōkePrince Kuni KuniyoshiEmpress KōjunPrince Asaka YasuhikoPrince Nashimoto MorimasaPrince Kaya KuninoriMeiji periodnew branch of the imperial familyHigashikuni MorihiroShigeko, Princess TeruEmperor ShōwaGreat Kantō earthquakeMarquisLins, São PauloBrazilcaptainIJA 7th Divisionmilitary tacticsÉcole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-CyrÉcole PolytechniqueFranceImperial Household MinistryImperial Japanese Army General StaffYoshiaki Yoshimipoison gasManchukuoJapanese Northern China Area ArmySecond World WarPrime MinisterFumimaro KonoeHajime SugiyamaHideki TōjōAkira MutōLord Privy SealKido Kōichiattacked Pearl HarborAutochromeAllied powersPrince Yasuhiko AsakaPrince Nobuhito Takamatsufall of SaipanAkihitoHigashikuni CabinetMamoru ShigemitsuMitsumasa YonaiacceptPotsdam DeclarationdemobilizationAllied occupation forcesCommunismNobuhito, Prince TakamatsuYoshitami MatsudairaAssociated PressThe New York TimesshinnōkeBuddhismHigashikuni-kyoInternational Martial Arts Federationheart failureAntoine PinayWillem DreesChristopher HornsrudNetherlandsWayback MachineNew York TimesPrincess ToshikoPrince MorihiroPrincess ShigekoDower, John W.Frank, Richard B.Manchester, WilliamAmerican Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964Spector, RonaldToland, JohnKorechika AnamiArmy MinisterSadamu ShimomuraOtozō YamadaCommander, General Defense CommandToshizō NishioCommander, IJA 2nd ArmyOldest living state leaderPrime ministers of Japan