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Tōjō Cabinet

1941

The official group photograph of the Japanese cabinet formed by Hideki Tojo in October 1941, with Tojo as Prime Minister at its center.

Shows Tojo as Prime Minister at the center of his cabinet, holding multiple key ministries at once.

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Black and white group photograph of about fifteen men in formal Japanese dress, many in suits and some in military uniforms with medals, standing in rows in front of a stone wall. In the front row, a man in a military uniform with decorations stands at center-left, beside a bald man in a suit with glasses at center-right.
Official photograph, Tōjō Cabinet, 1941.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white photograph shows the ministers of the 40th Cabinet of Japan, formed by Hideki Tojo on 18 October 1941 and led by him until 22 July 1944. About fifteen men in suits and uniforms stand in rows, with Tojo in military uniform at front and center beside other ministers including Teiichi Suzuki, Shigetarō Shimada, and Nobusuke Kishi.

Why it matters

The photograph documents the moment Tojo took full control of Japan's government, holding the posts of Prime Minister, Army Minister, and Home Minister at once. It shows the men who ran Japan's war government and the concentration of power around Tojo in the lead-up to the Pacific War.

Look closer

  • Why might Tojo have held several ministries at the same time?
  • What can you tell about rank and hierarchy from where each man stands?
  • Who is missing from this photograph, and what does that leave out of the story?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hideki Tojo on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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