21 February 1944 A.D. Tojo Makes Himself the “Military Czar” in Japan
21 February 1944 A.D. Tojo Makes Himself the “Military Czar” in Japan Editors. “Tojo makes himself `military czar.’” History.com. N.d. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tojo-makes-himself-military-czar . Accessed 20 Feb 2015. Tojo makes himself "military czar" On this day, Hideki Tojo, prime minister of Japan, grabs even more power as he takes over as army chief of staff, a position that gives him direct control of the Japanese military. After graduating from the Imperial Military Academy and the Military Staff College, Tojo was sent to Berlin as Japan's military attache after World War I . Having earned a reputation for sternness and discipline, Tojo was given command of the 1st Infantry Regiment upon returning to Japan. In 1937, he was made chief of staff of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria, China. When he returned again to his homeland, Tojo assumed the office of vice-minister of war and quickly took the lead in the military's increasing con...