Diary shows Tojo resisted surrender till end

Associated Press ^ | August 12, 2008 | MARI YAMAGUCHI

[Free ThinkerNY]

TOKYO - Japanese World War II leader Hideki Tojo wanted to keep fighting even after U.S. atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, accusing surrender proponents of being "frightened," a newly released diary reveals.

Excerpts from the approximately 20 pages written by Tojo in the final days of the war and held by the National Archives of Japan were published for the first time in several newspapers Tuesday.

"The notes show Tojo kept his died-in-the-wool militarist mentality until the very end," said Kazufumi Takayama, the archives curator, who confirmed the accuracy of the published excerpts. "They are extremely valuable."

[happygrl]

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn14520-us-boasts-of-laser-weapons-plausible-deniability.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news6_head_dn14520

[gaijin]

A propos of nothing:

1. During his pre-execution captivity in Tokyo's Sugamo Prison, Tojo's US Navy dentist drilled into his patient's dentures, "Remember Pearl Harbor" in Morse Code. Tojo was hanged wearing these same dentures.

2. Tojo was a really great dad (just throwing that in there).

3. J Army pilots took off and engaged US aircraft in combat after hearing the Emperor's "let's surrender" broadcast.

4. There were several very desperate firefights (a couple on the very grounds of the Imperial Castle) to try and intercept the surrender recording (it was not live); militants were claiming that the Emperor had been kidnapped and was forced into the broadcast.