Between 1937, when Japan under Konoe Fumimaro launched an invasion of China, and 1945, when Japan under Suzuki Kantaro finally was defeated, the position of Prime Minister of Japan changed repeatedly. First was Konoe Fumimaro, then Hiranuma Kiichiro, then Abe Nobuyuki, then Yonai Mitsumasa, then Konoe Fumimaro again, then Tojo Hideki, then Koiso Kuniaki, and then Suzuki Kantaro. In short, there was no singular figure during all of WWII to lead Japan in the same way Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini took control of Germany and Italy. Not necessarily focusing on the Prime Ministers I've just mentioned, is there anybody in Japan during this period who could have acted as a charismatic dictator the way Hitler or Mussolini did for the duration of WWII or its alternate equivalents? Tojo, while responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, didn't begin the war the way Konoe did, so while he doesn't count as a historical example, I guess part of the challenge could be having him in charge of the country before the invasion of China.
Either way, the goal is to find a Hitler or Mussolini equivalent for Japan, preferably one that takes power in the 1920s or early 1930s.
Either way, the goal is to find a Hitler or Mussolini equivalent for Japan, preferably one that takes power in the 1920s or early 1930s.