Inaba Masao
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel Inaba Masao was a Japanese officer during World War II of the Military Affairs Bureau.
In 1945, after the Emperor and his ministers were seeking to surrender, he urged to Korechika Anami, the War Minister, that the soldiers be told to keep fighting, especially with the Soviet Union massing its forces. He prepared a statement urging soldiers to fight to the bitter end, without reference to surrender. Two lieutenant colonels, one of them Masahiko Takeshita
, came to tell him that the Cabinet was about to issue a statement hinting at surrender, and they hastened to broadcast his message without Anami's approval. The Director of the Information Bureau, Hiroshi Shimomura, concluded that without its broadcast, Anami might be assassinated by younger officers, and so broadcast it.
This caused consternation in the government, which feared that his statement would provoke a third atomic bomb, and arranged for the message to be sent as a news broadcast, in English and Morse code, to escape military censors and so arrive in time.
When the Kyūjō Incident
was plotted, to prevent the emperor's declaration of surrender from being broadcast, Inaba refused to join the conspiracy and told the conspirators that the attempt was useless.
In 1945, after the Emperor and his ministers were seeking to surrender, he urged to Korechika Anami, the War Minister, that the soldiers be told to keep fighting, especially with the Soviet Union massing its forces. He prepared a statement urging soldiers to fight to the bitter end, without reference to surrender. Two lieutenant colonels, one of them Masahiko Takeshita
Masahiko Takeshita
Lt. Col. ' was the head of the domestic affairs section of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. In August 1945, he helped plan a coup along with Maj...
, came to tell him that the Cabinet was about to issue a statement hinting at surrender, and they hastened to broadcast his message without Anami's approval. The Director of the Information Bureau, Hiroshi Shimomura, concluded that without its broadcast, Anami might be assassinated by younger officers, and so broadcast it.
This caused consternation in the government, which feared that his statement would provoke a third atomic bomb, and arranged for the message to be sent as a news broadcast, in English and Morse code, to escape military censors and so arrive in time.
When the Kyūjō Incident
Kyujo Incident
The ' was an attempted military coup d'état in Japan at the end of the Second World War. It happened on the night of 14 August 1945 – 15 August 1945, just prior to announcement of Japan's surrender to the Allies...
was plotted, to prevent the emperor's declaration of surrender from being broadcast, Inaba refused to join the conspiracy and told the conspirators that the attempt was useless.