When Tojo Faced
his Accusers

“Without hesitation, Tojo accepted full blame for plunging Japan into war. But it was, he insisted, a ‘defensive’ war, and ‘in no manner a violation of international law.'”

“The violators of international law, Tojo argued, were American fliers who bombedJapanese cities. That was his defense for the execution of General James Doolittle’s “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” fliers.”

“He explained the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor as a case of faulty timing. According to the timetable, Tojo said, Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka’s envoys were to have delivered notice to the White House before Jap planes struck at Pear Harbor”:

“It was but natural for us to place full faith in our diplomatic officials in executing a function of such vital importance.”

Click here to read about the capture of General Tojo.