CO129-575-3 Japanese affairs 2-1-1939 - 21-12-1939 — Page 163

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

193

FAR EASTERN (JAPAN).

CONFIDENTIAL.

March 3, 1939.

SECTION 6.

[F 2144/23/23]

Copy No.

131

Sir R. Craigie to Viscount Halifax.—(Received March 3.)

(No. 29.) My Lord,

Tokyo, January 19, 1939.

WITH reference to my telegram No. 12 of the 6th January, I have the honour to append a list of the new Cabinet, whose investiture took place on the evening of the 5th January :-

Prime Minister: Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma. Minister for Foreign Affairs: Mr. Hachiro Arita. Minister of Home Affairs: Marquis Koichi Kido.

Minister of Finance: Mr. Sotaro Ishiwata.

Minister of War: Lieutenant-General Seishiro Itagaki.

Minister of Marine: Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai.

Minister of Justice and concurrently Communications: Mr. Suehiko Shiono. Minister of Education: Baron Sadao Araki.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry: Mr. Yukio Sakurauchi.

Minister of Commerce and Industry and concurrently Overseas Affairs:

Mr. Yoshiakira Hatta.

Minister of Railways: Mr. Yonezo Maeda.

Minister of Welfare: Mr. Hisatada Hirose.

Minister without portfolio: Prince Fumimaro Konoye.

Of the new entrants into the Government, Messrs. Ishiwata and Hirose are permanent officials, who were the Vice-Ministers of their respective departments under the former Government, and the appointments of Messrs. Sakurauchi and Maeda serve merely to change the representatives in the Government of the estab- lished political parties. There is a general tendency towards reduction in the size of the Cabinet, and Baron Hiranuma has stated that he does not intend to fill the two vacant seats at least until after the Diet session.

2. There has naturally been much speculation on the causes of Prince Konoye's resignation. The prince himself explained his action to the press by stating that national policy had been fixed at the Imperial Conference of the 30th November, that the China crisis had entered upon a new stage of reconstruction and that the time had arrived when a new and vigorous Government should be formed and a fresh start made. This explanation is, of course, far from con- vincing. There is little doubt that the immediate cause of the crisis is to be connected with the omission of Admiral Suetsugu from the new Government. A divergence of opinion had arisen between Prince Konoye and the admiral over the latter's National Council proposal (please see my Savingram No. 35 of the 5th December last) and this proposal was backed by Count Arima, who has also been relieved of his portfolio. Admiral Suetsugu is known to have advocated strong policies on every occasion, including the dissolution of the House of Repre- sentatives on the slightest provocation, and there would have been ample provo- cation had the admiral been permitted to defend his unpopular proposal in the House. As indicated in my despatch No. 1010 of the 15th December, Prince Konoye's prospects in the Diet were precarious enough without this added source of danger and it has been known throughout that his supporters in Court circles have been determined to preserve him from all risks of political defeat. Mr. Ikeda's insistence upon resignation is to be explained by the fact that he only consented to enter the Government during last May, in spite of his failing health, at the personal request of Prince Konoye. He has always said he would not remain in any Cabinet not led by Prince Konoye; he had found himself in constant disagreement both with Admiral Suetsugu and General Itagaki; and, finally, he cannot but have welcomed this opportunity of escaping from the increasingly difficult task of maintaining Japan's finances on a sound basis.

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