Army Minister Araki Sadao and the Five-Minister Conference

Abstract

The political influence of the Japanese military rapidly expanded amid the tense domestic and international events following the Manchurian incident of 1931. For the purposes of coordinating national defense, foreign and financial policies, the Saito Cabinet in October, 1933. convoked the "Five-Minister Conference" as an inner cabinet. An additional significance of the meeting was its role in the political fortunes of Army Minister Araki Sadao and his personal clique within the Army. Following Araki's appointment as Army Minister in December, 1931, the group surrounding the Generals Araki, his close friend Masaki Jinzaburo and Hayashi Senjuro-they are to be called the protetype of the "Imperial Way Faction" -was elevated by factional patronage to a position of dominance within the Army. The institution of the Five-Minister Conference offered Araki, the group's leader, an excellent opportunity to increase his power. The Conference also had its dangers to Araki, however. When he failed to gain the Conference's approval of increased armaments to implement the Army's demands for a hard line against the Soviet Union, Araki found himself politically stymied. He had attended the Five-Minister Conference in anticipation of Foreign Minister Hirota Koki's support and hence had taken no precautions. With the refusal of Finance Minister Takahashi on financial grounds, the Army's request was effectively rejected, and the Foreign Minister also withheld his support. Araki next pinned his hopes for recovery on securing approval for his proposals of domestic reform from the Domestic Policy Conference, held in November and December. Once again, his plans could not gain a firm financial base and were defeated. Araki found himself faced with a dilemma. He believed his resignation would bring down the Saito Cabinet, but he was apparently unwilling to take this action in the fear that new minister might be from an anti-or non-Araki faction. On the other hand, if he stayed on in his present state without prospect his strong position within the Army would be badly shaken. The problem seemed conveniently solved when Araki was incapacitated by an attack of influenza in January, 1934. His successor Hayashi Senjuro, on the contrary, allied himself with Nagata Tetsuzan and Tojo Hideki. Then they formed what I call "the early Control Faction" and together they entered into competition with Araki and Masaki as the "Imperial Way Faction (in a narrow sense)" began to break up. It had been the Five-Minister Conference which had led to these developments.