ABSTRACT
Tojo Hideki is often portrayed as a cruel dictator who, during World War II, single-handedly orchestrated brutal conquests of European and American colonies in Asia. In fact, he was but one of many narrow-minded leaders in the beleaguered, paranoid, and ultra-patriotic Japan of the 1930s and 1940s. After 1931, because of his discretion, Tojo served in sensitive staff positions in occupied Manchuria, culminating with his 1935 appointment as a lieutenant general in charge of the Japanese military's secret police, Kenpeitei. Tojo moved into increasingly political positions, such as Manchurian army's chief of staff in 1937, vice-minister of war in 1938, and finally, minister of war in 1940. The wartime characterization of Tojo Hideki as a brutal megalomaniac resembling Hitler or Stalin belies his true legacy, for Tojo never sought personal aggrandizement and always conducted himself as a normal, rational individual. This rationality, however, points the way to Tojo's legacy, for he revealed the dangers of excessive duty and of militarism.
