東条内閣と「国策再検討」-開戦決定と東郷外相-

• 森山 優

  日本学術振興会

書誌事項

タイトル別名

• The Tojo Cabinet and the political process of ‘Reconsideration of National Policy’

抄録

This article analyzes how the Tojo Cabinet arrived at an agreement to go to war with America, Britain and the Dutch East Indies. The Tojo Cabinet would not to be bound by the ‘Guidelines for Implementing National Policy’ that were adopted by the Third Konoe Cabinet and would ‘return to white paper’. But the Guidelines which were adopted after two weeks reconsideration, specified a deadline for concluding talks with Washington, after which war was to be decided upon. Does this decision meant that The Tojo Cabinet overcome the structural defect of the Meiji Constitution? The decision-making system of the Third Konoe Cabinet was characterized by Ryoron-heiki that incorporate the interests of all the opposing government institutions and Evasion of Decision-Making that evaded decisions in order to avoid conflict. The prime minister could not override the interests of the various government organs. It was owing to the structural flaw in the Meiji Constitution which saw legislative power shared between the Cabinet and the General Staff.<br>Togo agreed to be Foreign Minister on condition that The Tojo Cabinet was committed to work hard to bring negotiations with the United States to a success. Togo and Finance Minister Kaya stated that if Japan could not win a long war, there was no reason for going into it. Then, how did the Tojo Cabinet come to such a conclusion? This paper examines the following points.<br>1) Analyzing the logic of ‘Reconsideration of National Policy’. The main purpose of the reconsideration was to deny the possibility of the policy of ‘perseverance and patience’. There were not enough reasons to conclude that the war was the better selection. The reconsideration did not examine the situation of a long drawn-out war. Nevertheless, to get such a conclusion, it was essential for it to be reinforced by uncertain factors such as a favorable change of the international situation, the establishment of ‘selfsufficiency and economic invincibility’.<br>2) Examination of the ‘concessions’ of Japanese Foreign Policy to America. Foreign Minister Togo adopted, many ‘concessions’. Fixing a term to withdrawal from China, preparation to remove the Japanese troops stationed in the southern part of French Indo-China to the nothern part, were the most important proposals. The Third Konoe Cabinet had collapsed when war Minister Tojo resigned in rejecting plans for the Japanese Army to withdraw from China. The explanation of why and how Togo could succeed to reach an agreement with the Cabinet and the General staff. Can be drawn from the complex decision-making system of the Meiji Constitution.

収録刊行物

• 国際政治

  国際政治 1996 (113), 152-166,L17, 1996-12-30

  一般財団法人 日本国際政治学会

詳細情報

• CRID: 1390282680310763392
• NII論文ID: 130004303011
• DOI: 10.11375/kokusaiseiji1957.113_152
• ISSN: 18839916
• ISSN: 04542215
• データソース種別:
  • JaLC
  • CiNii Articles
• 抄録ライセンスフラグ: 使用不可