Kyūjō Incident
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The Kyūjō Incident (宮城事件 Kyūjō Jiken?) was an abortive coup d'état in Japan, taking place on the midnight of 14 August – 15 August 1945, the day when Japan and Imperial Japanese Army accepted the surrender that was put into effect by the part of the staff office from the Ministry of War of Japan and the groups taking a leading part by the staffs from the Imperial Guard of Japan. The officers who tried to block the decision for imperial Japan to surrender killed Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori of the First Imperial Guards Division and attempted to counterfeit the order of the division commander for occupying the Tokyo Imperial Palace using the 2nd brigade Imperial Guard Infantry. They failed to persuade the Eastern District Army (Japan) and the high command of the Japanese Imperial Army and ultimately committed suicide. As a result, the expression of the surrender of Japan and Japanese Imperial Army (Gyokuon-hōsō) continued as planned.
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[edit] Backgrounds
[edit] The decision of the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration
On the day of 9 August 1945 the Imperial Japanese government decided to accept the Potsdam Declaration in reaction to especially the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and indeed the war defeat of Imperial Japanese during WW2. On the same day, the Supreme Council for the Direction of War, opened before the Japanese Imperial court, where the 42nd the Prime Minister of Japan Kantarō Suzuki, the 26th Minister of Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsumasa Yonai and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Japan) Shigenori Tōgō (He is a Minister of Greater East Asia.) who suggested that the Imperial Japanese should accept the Potsdam Declaration being conditional on the status guarantee of the Emperor of Japan Hirohito, (In Imperial Japanese government this will provide the continuance of the Kokutai) including both of the War Minister Korechika Anami and Chief of Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff Yoshijirō Umezu added some more conditions, attended. After the closure of the intemissive session at 10, the Prime Minister of Japan mustered the the Supreme Council for the Direction of War again as the Gozen Kaigi where the Japanese emperor Hirohito attended. From the midnight of the 10 August, on the conference of the Gozen Kaigi convened in the underground bomb shelter, the Emperor of Japan Hirohito agreed to the opinion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Japan) and responded the requisition of the Seidan resulted in the decision of the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. The connection to the Allies of World War II on 7 was set by the Japanese envoy of Swiss and Sweden of the Neutral country.
[edit] The agitation in the Army
The Ministry of War of Japan knew the decision of the Gozen Kaigi and stirred up the fierce reaction from many officers who intended do-or-die resistance. At 9 o’clock, in the session held in the Ministry of War of Japan, the staff officers got complicated and not all of them understood the persuasion of the Minister of the War of Japan Korechika Anami. At past midnight on 12 August the San Francisco broadcasting put the reply from the Allies of World War II and there was a suggestion that the Allies of World War II had decided that the authority of the sovereignty of the Imperial Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan shall subject to the head quarters of the Allies of World War II against the requisition for the protection of the Kokutai from the Imperial Japanese government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan) interpreted this sentence as the restricting the sovereignty, yet the Imperial Japanese Army interpreted this sentence as more enslavement. From 3 o’clock the attenders of the imperial families council basically agreed to the surrender of Japan, yet the cabinet council held at the same time did not concur. Also the Supreme Council for the Direction of War tangled with the problem of the protection for the kokutai. After these proceedings some Army officers for protection of the kokutai decided that a coup d'état was needed. At this time the core group of officers of this coup d'état planning had already prepared some troops in Tokyo.(兵力使用計画：Heiryoku-shiyo-keikaku))
[edit] Kyūjō Incident
[edit] 14 August
The Ministry of War of Japan finally disagreed the plan of coup d'état in the session between the Minister of War of Japan Korechika Anami and the Chief the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Yoshijirō Umezu, on another front, the Prime Minister Suzuki mustered the council of the all cabinet official added some key persons from military and civil in front of the Emperor of Japan and in this council, the Emperor of Japan Hirohito had accepted the reply of the Allies of World War II and described that he would call to all of Japanese people. At around the 1 o’clock when the cabinet council had begun, the chairperson of the NHK was called for by the cabinet intelligence office and required to prepare the Gyokuon-hōsō which will be made by the Emperor of Japan Hirohito. The recording of the Gyokuon-hōsō has started at half past 11 o’clock in the Imperial Household Ministry and it was sent to the Palace staff of Tokugawa Yoshihiro and locked up in certain room.
[edit] 15 August
The officers of the Imperial Guard of Japan who was against the surrender of Japan had confirmed the recording of the Gyokuon-hōsō and then held some personnels from NHK and the agency staffs of the cabinet intelligence office. They coerced the interview with the Chief of the division of the Imperial Guard of Japan Takeshi Mori and he was persuaded of his entry. At this time, he rejected the persuasion and was murdered with military sword by some high-ranking officer of the Imperial Japanese Army. A part of the division of the Imperial Guard of Japan was detached to Hibiya and Imperial Household Ministry and some high-ranking officer betook themselves to Eastern District Army (Japan) and asked to join the rebellion but the commander of the Eastern District Army (Japan), Shizuichi Tanaka had already decided to subdue. At past 6, the Emperor of Japan Hirohito had knew the coup d'état and expressed that he would go off himself to the front of those soldiers.[clarify] The two records were carried from the Imperial Household Ministry and it was sent to the spare studios of The Dai-ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company hall and NHK hall. At half past 11 a.m., one military policeman unsheathed his sword and broke into the studio in order to prevent the broadcast but he was taken into custody. After noon, there was an advance notice and the interpretation of the Kimi ga Yo, then the Emperor of Japan recorded Gyokuon-hōsō. The long war was over.
[edit] Post War
The relatives of staff officers were not sent to court because of the confusion of the surrender of Japan, despite their actions violating military and criminal law.
