Shigenori Togo

Shigenori Togo (1882-1950) was a career diplomat and Foreign Minister of Japan in the Hideki Tojo and Kantaro Suzuki governments. While he resigned from the Tojo government opposed to its aggressive policy, he was part of planning for World War Two in the Pacific, and, while part of the peace faction at the final conference in August 1945, was sentenced to 20 years by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and died in prison.

He had a German wife and was appointed Ambassador to Germany, and then became Ambassador to the Soviet Union in the following year.

Tojo government

Tojo appointed him foreign minister in October 1941, but he resigned in September 1942. The resignation was triggered by Tojo's proposal to establish a ministry for the Greater East Asian Coprosperity Sphere. Emperor Hirohito, advised by Teiichi Suzuki, wanted the new ministry to relieve the Foreign Ministry of the need to deal with puppet governments of former colonies. Togo, however, concluded he might not be credible in negotiations with the West if he could not speak for those governments. In particular, he saw that his only access to Chiang Kai-Shek would be through the government of Japan's protege, Wang Ching-Wei. Tojo believed that a meaningful settlement with Chiang was a prerequisite to any peace involving the West.

Suzuki government

After Tojo resigned, the new prime minister, Kantaro Suzuki, appointed Togo as foreign minister. In May 1945, he led efforts to improve Soviet-Japanese relations and seek Soviet help in ending the war. " The Potsdam Declaration had not been issued, but it was felt that the Cairo Declaration terms would not actually be applied; it was looked upon as a declaration only, whose terms could be reduced by negotiating and by being in a position to exact "heavy sacrifices" if the war continued. "

While Hirota was talking with Malik, Ambassador Sato had been instructed in Moscow to prepare the way for a Japanese emissary to discuss improvement of Soviet-Japanese relations and Russia's intercession to end the war. Specific terms for ending the war apparently did not come up at this time, but the Council was prepared that whatever the result they "would be worse than prewar conditions".