The Assassination of Hideki Tojo: Told In Newspaper Headlines

Boston Globe, October 8, 1941

Secretary of State claims Japanese Military involved in Emperror's death.

Secretary of State Hull claimed that elements of Japan's military may have been behind the death of Japan's emperor.
"There are officials in the military of the Japanese Empire that wish for a war to occur. It appears they will do anything to make it happen."
 
'WE WILL MOURN THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY'
Washington Post

WASHINGTON,DC-US- Upon being informed about the death of the Emperor of Japan, President Roosevelt announced that it was a terrible tragedy, and one that should have consequences. He had a few words to say:

"The peace-loving people of Japan must overcome the death of His Divine Majesty, the Emperor Showa, and strive to become great again. The future does not die with the death of His Majesty, and Japan should never give up in the search for freedom and peace. On behalf of the United States of America and her people, I would like to say that we will mourn this terrible tragedy, and feel the same sorrow that you feel, and we should both work together as two peoples and two nations, in making sure that Japan will get a stable and peaceful future."
 
New York Times, October 7, 1941

EMPEROR HIROHITO MURDERED

This morning, the Emperor of the Japanesse Empire, Hirohito, was found murdered in his Emperor's Mansion, shot 3 times in the head.

WHOA! Whoever did that just basically screwed himself every which way but loose!

Regicide is a bad enough thing.

But when you murder someone who is believed by all living in a country to be descent from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu herself . . .! :eek:

If it was a faction of the military acting on the orders of Imperial Headquarters and the news gets out, the militarists are going loose all support they had gained over the previous few years.

But if it's just one lone whacko, though . . .

The Rape of Nanking will be nothing compared to what the IJA will do now!
 
I don't think I've ever seen such a promising thread unravel itself so quickly. Imperial Japan by this time was a nation ruled by a military dictatorship that was itself ruled by the concept of government by assassination! Anybody remember the peculiar way the Japanese PM walked up to the main deck of the USS Missouri on VJ-Day? That's because the Prime Minister (and Admiral) had a wooden leg due to a grenade thrown at him during a coup attempt. The grenade was thrown by a corporal. It's always the corporals, isn't it?

A series of assassinations in Tokyo? NO ONE is going to think "foreign-based" assassins. Not with the Kempetai (Japanese Gestapo) keeping such a tight control on the movements of all non-Japanese (especially WHITES) in Japan. Not with Japan's history with assassination politics.

That the assassinations would OCCUR? Yes, I can see that. Though Hirohito's is ASB. And the identities of the people being killed make no sense at all. It was the fanatics who killed those not fanatical, or not fanatical enough. As Tojo was the Supreme Hawk, his death makes no sense. Unless the POD is a CIA created ten years earlier:rolleyes:, and FDR was dead set against the creation of what he called an "International Bureau of Investigation" (IBI), as long as the Axis were around.
 
Does Unholy Mistress like killing people? Do I have permission to create a related thread that has the more ridiculous things be considered yellow journalism?
 
The Japanese of this time, including the generals, really did worship the emperor as a living god. Even when the military die hards were trying to prevent Japan's surrender, NONE of them considered harming the Emperor. For the Japanse it would have been a crime on a scale of Judas Iscariot's.

NO JAPANSES GROUP, INCLUDING THE MILITARY, WOUILD DARE ASSASSINATE THE EMPEROR.

Whoever did so would have the Japanese nation turn on them. It would be like trying to rule Italy after having the Pope murdered, only a hundred times worse.
 
The Japanese of this time, including the generals, really did worship the emperor as a living god. Even when the military die hards were trying to prevent Japan's surrender, NONE of them considered harming the Emperor. For the Japanse it would have been a crime on a scale of Judas Iscariot's.

NO JAPANSES GROUP, INCLUDING THE MILITARY, WOUILD DARE ASSASSINATE THE EMPEROR.

Whoever did so would have the Japanese nation turn on them. It would be like trying to rule Italy after having the Pope murdered, only a hundred times worse.
Funny you should mention that...
 
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