The was established during the development of
representative government in Meiji period Japan to further strengthen the authority of the state. Its first leader was
Yamagata Aritomo
'' Gensui'' Prince , also known as Prince Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a senior-ranking Japanese military commander, twice-elected Prime Minister of Japan, and a leading member of the '' genrō'', an élite group of senior statesmen who dominated J ...
(1838–1922), a
Chōshū native who has been credited with the founding of the modern
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
and was the first constitutional
Prime Minister of Japan
The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...
. The Supreme War Council developed a
German-style general staff system with a chief of staff who had direct access to the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
and who could operate independently of the army minister and civilian officials. The Supreme War Council was the ''de facto'' inner cabinet of Japan prior to the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
.
Liaison Conference
From November 1937 and following
Emperor Shōwa
Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
's order, the ''Gunji sangikan kaigi'' was in effect replaced by the
Imperial General Headquarters-Government Liaison Conference (大本営政府連絡会議 ''Daihon'ei seifu renraku kaigi''). The Liaison Conferences were intended by the Emperor to bring the chiefs of the Army and
Navy General Staff into closer consultation with his government, and to assist in integrating the decisions and needs of the two military sections of Imperial General Headquarters with the resources and policies of the rest of the government. The final decisions of Liaison Conferences were formally disclosed and approved at Imperial Conferences over which the Emperor presided in person at the Kyūden of the
Tokyo Imperial Palace
The is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor has his living quarters, the where va ...
.
Its members were the following officials:
* the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
:
Fumimaro Konoe,
Hiranuma Kiichirō
was a prominent right-wing Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan in 1939. He was convicted of war crimes committed during World War II and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Early life
Hiranuma was born in what is now Tsuyama C ...
,
Nobuyuki Abe
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor-General of Korea, and Prime Minister of Japan.
Early life and military career
Abe was born on November 24, 1875, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, the son of former samurai Abe Nobumitsu. ...
,
Mitsumasa Yonai
was a Japanese general and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940.
Early life and career
Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, the firs ...
* the
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
* the
Minister of War
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
* the
Minister of the Navy Minister of the Navy may refer to:
* Minister of the Navy (France)
* Minister of the Navy (Italy)
The Italian Minister of the Navy ( it, Ministri della Marina del Regno) was a member in the Council Ministers until 1947, when the ministry merged ...
* the Chief of the Army General Staff
* the Chief of the Navy General Staff
Supreme Council for the Direction of the War
In 1944, Prime Minister
Kuniaki Koiso established the
Supreme Council for the Direction of the War (最高戦争指導会議 ''Saikō sensō shidō kaigi''), which replaced the Imperial General Headquarters-Government Liaison Conference. At the end of the war on August 14, 1945, it consisted of:
*Prime Minister: Admiral
Kantarō Suzuki
Baron was a Japanese general and politician. He was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, member and final leader of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association and Prime Minister of Japan from 7 April to 17 August 1945.
Biography
Early l ...
*Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Shigenori Tōgō
(10 December 1882 – 23 July 1950), was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Axis–Allied conflict during World War II. He also served as Minister of Colonial Affairs in 1941, and assume ...
*Minister of War: General
Korechika Anami
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II who was War Minister during the surrender of Japan.
Early life and career
Anami was born in Taketa city in Ōita Prefecture, where his father was a senior bureaucrat in the Home M ...
*Minister of the Navy: Admiral
Mitsumasa Yonai
was a Japanese general and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940.
Early life and career
Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, the firs ...
*Chief of the Army General Staff: General
Yoshijirō Umezu
(January 4, 1882 – January 8, 1949) was a Japanese general in World War II and Chief of the Army General Staff during the final years of the conflict. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Biography Early life a ...
*Chief of the Navy General Staff: Admiral
Soemu Toyoda
was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.
Biography Early career
Toyoda was born in what is now part Kitsuki city, Ōita Prefecture. He graduated from the 33rd class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1905, ranked 26 ...
See also
*
Gozen Kaigi
In the Empire of Japan, an (literally, a conference before the emperor) was an extraconstitutional conference on foreign matters of grave national importance that was convened by the government in the presence of the Emperor.
History and backgr ...
{{JapanEmpireNavbox
Military history of Japan
Government of Japan
Military of the Empire of Japan