History in 5 Minutes or less

On September 2, 1945, the world witnessed the official end of World War II as Japan surrendered aboard the USS Missouri. The war was over, but for the victorious Allies, a new mission had begun bringing Japan’s wartime leaders to justice. At the top of their list was Hideki Tojo, the former Prime Minister of Japan and the man many considered the architect of Japan’s aggressive military expansion.

Tojo had vanished from the public eye in the days following the surrender, retreating to his modest home in Setagaya, Tokyo. But the Americans were determined to find him.

The Search for Japan’s Fallen Leader

The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur, had issued a directive to arrest key Japanese officials responsible for war crimes. Intelligence reports soon placed Tojo at his home, a traditional Japanese house with a quiet garden. Though he had been stripped of power, the once-mighty general still had a final act to play.

On September 11, a team of American soldiers and journalists arrived at Tojo’s residence. They expected to arrest him without much trouble. What they found instead was a man preparing to take fate into his own hands.

A Gunshot in Setagaya

As the American troops approached the house, a gunshot rang out. The soldiers burst through the door to find Hideki Tojo slumped in a chair, a pistol slipping from his fingers. Blood trickled from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.

Tojo had attempted to end his life rather than face the humiliation of capture and trial. But the attempt was botched—his aim was off, and he was still alive. As the Americans rushed to his side, he weakly muttered in Japanese:

“I am very sorry it is taking me so long to die. The Greater East Asia War was justified and righteous. I am very sorry for the nation and all the races of the Greater Asiatic powers”*

It was a moment filled with irony. The man who had led Japan into war, who had ordered thousands to die rather than surrender, was now a prisoner of the very forces he had once defied.

Saving the Enemy

Despite being their enemy, the Americans didn’t let Tojo die. A U.S. Army medic quickly treated his wound, while an interpreter asked if he had any final words. Struggling to speak, Tojo expressed his belief that he had led Japan with honor, though history would decide otherwise.

He was stabilized and rushed to a military hospital, where he received medical care under heavy guard. The world soon learned of his failed suicide attempt, and the images of a wounded Tojo, lying weakly in a hospital bed, became a stark symbol of Japan’s defeat.

The Trial and Final Judgment

Tojo recovered enough to stand trial before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Over two years, the court dissected Japan’s role in the war, with Tojo unapologetically taking full responsibility for his actions.

In 1948, he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death. On December 23, 1948, Hideki Tojo was hanged at Sugamo Prison. His final words before his execution expressed regret for the suffering of the Japanese people but did not waver in his belief that he had acted in Japan’s best interests.

Legacy of a Fallen General

Tojo’s capture and failed suicide became one of the defining moments of post-war Japan. The once-feared general, who had dictated the fates of millions, had ultimately been powerless to escape his own. His arrest marked not just the fall of an individual but the end of an era of militarism in Japan. **

Though he remains one of history’s most infamous figures, his capture serves as a reminder of the price of war and the inescapable reach of justice.

*This was recorded by Japanese reporters present at the scene

**Upon Japan’s surrender, A new constitution was written primarily by American Authors with input from Japanese scholars, Japan was forbidden to have a offensive military under Article 9