FOREIGN MINISTER SHIGHÉNORI TOGO'S ADDRESS AT THE EIGHTIETH SESSION OF THE DIET, MAY 27, 1942
It is a great honour for me to avail myself of this occasion of the opening of the eightieth session of the Imperial Diet to express my views on various diplomatic questions during wartime.
Since the outbreak of the war of greater East Asia, all the American and British bases of aggression in East Asia have been destroyed, and the great work of constructing the sphere of common prosperity throughout greater East Asia has already made a forward stride. These marvelous military achievements are due to the bravery and intrepidity of the gallant and loyal officers and men of the Imperial forces under the August Virtue of His Majesty the Emperor, and we the entire nation are profoundly grateful to them.
It seems that both the American and British Governments are even now persistently indulging in idle criticism of Japan by wilfully misinterpreting our attitude at the outbreak of the war and also the character of the current war, but this only betrays their desperate efforts to evade responsibility for an uninterrupted series of military and naval reverses.
There is not the slightest doubt, in the light of official records, that the Japanese Government had, during the negotiations extending over eight long months with America, consistently endeavoured to seek a peaceful settlement. The fact has been clearly established throughout the world that it is America and Britain who are culpably responsible for the instigation of the war, having forced Japan to gird on the sword in self-defence.
In staking her national destiny on the issue of the war, Japan is actuated by the desire to emancipate greater East Asia from the yoke of exploitation of America and Britain, by shattering their ambition for world hegemony, and also to realize the great ideal of a new world order. No cause could be more righteous. It is no exaggeration to say that our war aims have few parallels in world history in their righteousness and justice. Justice always prevails. This is an abiding faith which inspires the Japanese people who have, during their twenty-six centuries' existence as a nation, successfully overcome every national crisis and have securely safeguarded their sacred
soil under an unbroken line of Emperors.
Our forces proving ever victorious. East Asia is now in a position to give full play to its original aspect, emancipated from the aggression and exploitation of America and Britain. The foundation for the construction of the sphere of common prosperity has now been firmly established throughout greater East Asia. The great ideal to construct a new order on a moral basis and to enable all the countries and all the peoples in this sphere each to have its own proper place so as to share the honour of the rise of greater East Asia is on the fair way to its realization. And this moral principle is fully recognized and deeply appreciated by all the countries and peoples in East Asia. That the peoples in the occupied areas in the South are showing an attitude of vigorous and voluntary co-operation toward Japan while the din of the battle has hardly subsided, is one of its manifestations. This is a matter of congratulation for the sake of the future of greater East Asia.
A treaty of offensive and defensive alliance was concluded between Japan and Thailand immediately following the outbreak of the war, thus establishing a close co-operation between the two countries in the political and military fields. Economic understandings including the settlement of payments on the basis of placing the yen and baht at par have recently been reached and mutual aid and co-operation between the two countries are being happily effected in the financial, economic and also cultural fields. At the same time, economic negotiations are proceeding smoothly between Japan and French Indo-China. All these are nothing but the result brought about by the enhancement of the above-mentioned moral principle.
Further, Manchoukuo, Japan's ally, who is observing the 10th anniversary of the founding of her Empire has strengthened her pledge to share in Japan's aspiration and ideal, while the recent visit of the President of the National Government of China to Manchoukuo has resulted in a remarkable improvement of the friendly relationship between Manchoukuo and China. All these demonstrate a firm resolve on the part of Manchoukuo and China to proceed toward the construction of greater East Asia, shoulder to shoulder with Japan.
A section, however, of China deliberately disregards the moral character and historical importance of the construction of greater East Asia. Greatly dismayed and disappointed at the shocking defeats sustained by America and Britain, it yet persists in blindly following them hoping to ensure its existence, by sticking to its slogan, "National reconstruction through resisting Japan."
The rapid advance, however, of the Japanese forces has completely cut off the Burma Road, with the result that Chungking cannot hope to receive any aid from America and Britain. With its economic unrest mounting every day, Chungking's plight is being further aggravated. This is, indeed, a natural fate that befalls a régime which has, at the historic transformation of greater East Asia, obstructed the campaign for the emancipation of greater East Asia, without realizing its own proper duty, but none the less
it commands our commiseration.
With regard to India, it must be noted that as the British Army in India were increasingly exposed to danger consequent to the development of our military operations on a vast scale, Britain made frantic efforts to appease India in order to obtain the latter's positive co-operation, but all her efforts and intrigues have ended in utter failure meeting a blunt rebuff from the courageous Indian leaders. Her endeavors, moreover, only served to exhibit her bad faith toward India before the whole world. More recently, our successful reduction of Burma has added to Britain's worry and anxiety, so that she now finds herself in a great predicament desperately seeking to maintain her military bases in India.
Britain's rule of India, extending over 200 years, is now shaken to its very foundation. But Britain is still trying to drag India into war or to make India resort to a scorched earth policy, by fanning ill will against Japan among the Indian people. Such an outrageous move, cannot be expected to draw any support from the Indians. As repeatedly affirmed, Japan harbours no hostility toward India's four hundred millions. We cannot bear to see even a single drop of Indian blood being shed for satisfying the limitless greed of the British Empire which is now on the verge of collapse. For the sake of the happiness of the entire world, Japan hopes and expects that the Indian leaders will seize this golden opportunity to march forward toward the realization of India for the Indians, and to rise courageously in order to win India's emancipation and construction.
As you are all aware, the current war is intended to construct a new world order through co-operation between Japan on the one hand and Germany, Italy and other allies on the other. Immediately after the outbreak of the war of greater East Asia, Japan concluded an epoch-making treaty of alliance with Germany and Italy, pledging their immutable resolve to march jointly toward the construction of a new world order and not to sheathe the sword until and unless their joint war against America and Britain is brought to a successful conclusion. Co-operation among the three Powers is close and cordial not only in the military fields but also in the political, economic, and cultural fields. With the co-operation of their European allies, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and others, the bond that binds the Axis Powers is immutably solid.
Even now, America and Britain are spreading mendacious propaganda in efforts to alienate Japan, Germany and Italy, but it is hardly necessary to mention that all such intrigues will be entirely wasted upon the iron alignment of the Axis Powers, which is based upon their common lofty aspirations, animated by their supreme mutual trust. The day for the realization of their common aspirations due to co-operation of their allies is steadily approaching, thanks to the successful military operations of the Axis Powers both in the East and West.
Some time ago, some of the central and south American countries, under American intimidation and instigation, severed their diplomatic relations with, or declared war upon, Japan and her allies. But most of those
countries are still hesitating to extend positive co-operation to the United States. All this time, Argentina and Chile have steadfastly maintained their neutral policy with a firm attitude based upon their independent position.
The relation between Japan and the Soviet Union have undergone no change even after the outbreak of the war of greater East Asia. It has been reaffirmed quite recently that the Soviet Union intends to regulate her relations with Japan by the Neutrality Pact and that, accordingly, she has no intention whatever to place her territory as military bases at the disposal of our enemy countries. With the progress of the war, the enemy countries will, I presume, intensify their insidious manœuvres to alienate Japan and the Soviet Union, but there is no chance for such intrigues to bear fruit so long as the Soviet Union firmly maintains the attitude mentioned above. Meanwhile, we, on our part, will continue to watch the situation with a calm attitude from the standpoint of preserving security in the north.
Japan and her allies have established positions of a sure victory both in the East and West, completely overwhelming the enemies. The international situation surrounding Japan is developing more and more favourably, whereas there is no gainsaying the fact that the fortunes of America and Britain are steadily waning. Falling back upon their rich natural resources America and Britain at the outbreak of the war pinned their hope upon war of attrition.
In order to gloss over the alarming situation following their reverses, they declared that they would launch a great offensive against Japan after replenishing their armaments in two or three years. The recent unbroken string, however, of setbacks have made them so impatient that they have changed the tune of their propaganda, asserting that the current year will be so critical as to decide the issue of the war and are advocating the necessity of armaments expansion and adoption of positive military and naval strategy. From the viewpoint of material resources alone, however, America and Britain are confronted with problems the solution of which is extremely difficult, including, for instance, that of shortage of shipping.
Especially critical is Britain's position. Her wholesale retreat from all fronts of East Asia and the remarkable activities of the German and Italian navies in the Atlantic and Mediterranean have made the situation of the British Isles full of unrest. People in England are experiencing increasing difficulty of living, while unreast [sic] is sharpening in India, and Australia is exposed to a serious menace. Thus there are increasing indications that the collapse of the British Empire is impending.
On the other hand, the United States is withholding from the public all news on her uninterrupted series of military and naval disasters while spreading fictitious reports of victory in an attempt to maintain popular confidence. In the past, American statesmen used to stand for frankness and candour, but it is a remarkable tendency that they are recently apt to refrain from speaking the truth. Meanwhile, however, the American people are steadily feeling the pinch of war, so that their standard of living is bound to deteriorate increasingly. It is but natural that dissatisfaction is voiced among the intellectual
classes in the United States over the American Government which has despotically dragged the nation into an uncertain war with Japan without any chance of success, completely disregarding the welfare of the masses.
In short, the fact that the American Government resorted to interference and aggression in violation of the moral principle which inspired the founding of the United States and further that they jumped to the hasty conclusion that they would be able to bring Japan easily to her knees constitutes the major cause for bringing about the current world-wide disturbance. Japan's object consists in destroying the American policy of aggression, which dreams of world domination.
In efforts to cope with popular discontents arising from their military reverses, America and Britain not only unlawfully occupied Madagascar Island, a French possession, under untenable pretexts, but furthermore are stretching their greedy hands to French possessions in the West Indies. Moreover, Britain has sent military expeditions to Iran who has had no desire but to live in peace. America and Britain have sinned against God by unscrupulously spreading the war to various parts of the world through the pursuance of their traditional policy of victimizing weaker nations. It is clear as daylight, however, that Britain and America who resort to such an outrageous policy will eventually come to grief.
The international situation is developing unfavourably for America and Britain. At this juncture, Japan has manifested before the whole world her renewed resolve to prosecute the war to a successful end, by establishing a new national political structure in a spirit of co-operation on the basis of national unity, which has further strengthened war efforts under an iron solidarity. I believe that the enemy countries will not fail to be impressed by our immutable faith. It may be easily imagined that America and Britain will resort to counter-offensive in desperate efforts to retrieve their defeats. However, it is my unshakable belief that there is no room for doubt that our nation will succeed in prosecuting this great war to a glorious termination and in constructing a brilliant world, by bending their efforts tenaciously with the entire nation united like one man, however long the war may be protracted.