Kido was the Japanese Lord Privy Seal and the Emperor HIROHITO’s closest adviser during the war. Early in 1944 he decided that Japan could not win the war and he began to talk to senior politicians about peace. After the fall of TOJO in July 1944 and the fall of KOISO in April 1945, Kido was behind the appointment of the peace-seeking SUZUKI as Premier. Kido’s main concern was that the peace would not mean an end to the Emperor’s position and power. Towards the end when it was clear that the Emperor’s position was not guaranteed, Kido still pressed Suzuki into getting agreement on that clause in the surrender terms. Kido was a friend of ANAMI but in the last days of the war these two were completely opposed. After the war Kido was tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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