Kido Kōichi

Kido Kōichi (between 1940 and 1945)

Kido Kōichi ( Japanese 木 戸 幸 一 ; * July 18, 1889 , † April 6, 1977 ) was a Japanese politician and war criminal.

Marquis Kido Kōichi was born in 1889 as the son of the Chief Marshal Kido Takamasa and the grandson of Kido Takayoshi . He received his basic education at the court school in the imperial palace. After completing his law studies at the University of Kyoto in Taishō 4, Kido began his service in the Ministry of Economy and Trade and was in the following years u. a. Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Head of the Accounting Department, Head of the Department for Rationalization of Industry, Chief Secretary of the Lord Seal Keeper and advisor in the Imperial Court Office .

In Shōwa 8 (1933) Saionji Kinmochi (1849-1940 ) recommended Kido as chairman for the department of the court office, which dealt with questions of the imperial family, imperial conferences, etc. (kunaishō-sōchitsuryō).

When in the year Shōwa 12 (1937) Konoe Fumimaro formed a cabinet, Kido was Minister for Education , 1938 for Welfare , in order to act as a member of the House of Lords after the resignation of the cabinet. In the Hiranuma Kiichirō cabinet , Kido was interior minister . In 1940 Kido took office as keeper of the lord seal ( naidaijin ).

Kido always used to support the recommendation for a new prime minister , which the Genrō Saionji made to the emperor . After the resignation of the Yonai Mitsumasa cabinet, however, Kido followed the advice of the Jūshin (former prime minister) and recommended Konoe as prime minister. After that, Kido's opinion and judgment played an important role in the choice of a new prime minister. So in 1941 Hideki Tōjō could become Prime Minister as successor to Konoe. Because of his political influence and because of his role at court, but also to protect the emperor, Kido was summoned to the Tokyo tribunal. Kido was thus indicted on behalf of the emperor before the war crimes tribunal.

During the trial, his diary served not only as evidence for the public prosecutor's office, but also to protect the emperor from being charged. In addition, Kido was relentlessly critical of the military, which he held responsible for the war, and thereby contrasted it with the peaceful and peace-loving emperor. This prompted the military Mutō Akira , Satō Kenryō and Hashimoto Kingorō to make bad charges against Kido. Nevertheless, Kido's diary is considered a valuable source for understanding the Shōwa period. Before the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal Kido was a war criminal category A to life imprisonment sentenced, but due to illness in 1953 under house arrest made in 1955 after the departure of the Allies from Japan by the war criminals to be brought to Japanese courts since this so-called war criminals loyal and honorable subjects were who would have served their nation. He died in 1977.

“Kido's Diary” (木 戸 日記), which he published in 1966, and which covers the events from January 1931 to December 1945, is an important source for the history of the Pacific War in Japan.

Individual evidence

1. ^ S. Noma (Ed.): Kido Kōichi . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993. ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 776.

literature

• Akao Fumio, Matsuda K., Yoshioka K. (Eds.): Nihonshi jiten . Ōbunsha Tokyo, 2000/2001, p. 157.
• Hiratsuka Masao: Tōkyō Saiban . Kawade, Tokyo 2002, p. 42.
• The Diary of Marquis Kido, 1931-45 . Maryland 1984, pp. V-vii.
• Herbert Bix: Hirohito an the making of modern Japan . New York 2000, pp. 177-178.

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus, Kido is the family name, Kōichi the first name.