The Razor
(and de facto dictator) the Razor was the Minister for War, Armaments, Education and Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff.
The prolonged series of military reverses Japan suffered after Midway slowly weakened Tojo's government. Finally, on July 16, 1944 Tojo was relieved of command of the General Staff; two days later the entire Cabinet resigned and Tojo's leadership officially ended on July 19th. Between this time and the end of the war, Tojo was left powerless as the relentless Allied offensives closed in on the home islands.
Tojo had attempted suicide in August 1945, after the surrender process was initiated, but he was nursed back to health. He was arrested by Allied forces and tried as a war criminal before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Throughout the trial proceedings Tojo proclaimed the Emperor's innocence of any wrongdoing. Ultimately, Tojo was convicted. He accepted his conviction with dignity and refused to allow an appeal of the death sentence. In many respects, Tojo was a traditional Japanese warrior. He was hanged on December 22, 1948.
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