Kouki Hirota
Kouki Hirota (廣田 弘毅) was minister of foreign affairs and prime minister of Imperial Japan.
Contents
History
Hirota rose through the ministry of foreign affairs, including an appointment as ambassador to the Soviet Union.
Policies
As minister of foreign affairs, Hirota promulgated the Hirota Sangensoku (Three Principles by Hirota):
- opposition to the spread of communism
- suppression of anti-Japanese activities in China
As prime minister, Hirota signed the Anti-Comintern Pact.
Hirota formed the government in March 1936 after winning the support of the imperial army and navy by re-instating a policy requiring that ministers of the army and navy must be military officers. However, government dissolved after less than a year due to a disgreement with his minister of the army, Hisaichi Terauchi (寺内 寿一).
Legacy
Hirota was charged as a Class A war criminal and sentenced to death by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. While not in command of the military, he almost certainly knew about the Rape of Nanjing and did nothing to remedy it.