Yuko Tojo

Yuko Tojo (東條 由布子, Tōjō Yūko, May 20, 1939 – February 13, 2013) was a Japanese ultra-nationalist politician, Imperial Japanese apologist, and brief political hopeful.[1] She was the granddaughter of General Hideki Tōjō, the Japanese wartime prime minister who was convicted as a Class A war criminal and hanged after World War II[1] in 1948.

Yuko Tojo
東條 由布子
Yuko Tojo as a young girl with her grandmother Katsuko and grandfather, Hideki.
Born
Yoshie Tojo

(1939-05-20)20 May 1939
Keijō, Japanese Korea
Died13 February 2013(2013-02-13) (aged 73)
Tokyo, Japan
Nationality Japan
Other names
  • Yoshie Iwanami
  • Yuko Iwanami
Alma materKokushikan University
OccupationPolitician, Insurance agent
EmployerDai-Ichi Insurance Company
Known forgranddaughter of Hideki Tojo
Children4
Relatives
  • Hidetaka Tojo (father)
  • Hideki Tojo (grandfather)

Politics

In May 2007, Tojo revealed her intention to run in the House of Councillors election at the age of 68. She ran on a far-right platform. Tojo denied Japanese war crimes during World War II.

Tojo was a patron of The Truth about Nanjing, a movie made with the intention to expose what the filmmaker Satoru Mizushima saw as propagandistic aspects of the Nanjing Massacre. Mizushima claims that the 1937 Nanking Massacre was a politically motivated fabrication by China and numerous western eyewitnesses.

Japan's nationalists including former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, have distanced themselves from her. Political commentator Minoru Morita has said of her, “Tojo’s nationalistic attitude might appeal to certain elements of the population, but most Japanese do not sympathize with her views. She has no chance at all at the elections,"[2]

Death

Tojo died on February 13, 2013 at the age of 73, ten years after her entry into politics.

Quotes

"Japan did not fight a war of aggression. It fought in self-defense. Our children have been wrongly taught that their ancestors did evil things, that their country is evil. We need to give these children back their pride and confidence".[2]

"In Japan, there are no war criminals. Every one of those enshrined at Yasukuni died fighting for their country, and we should honor them".[2]

"Many people, including Kyuma, believe that the atomic bombs stopped Japan's 'aggression,' but Japan did not fight a war of aggression". "If there was one mistake, however, it was the fact that we lost. And if my grandfather is to blame, it's not because he started the war but because we lost".[3]

"People think I'm a hawk, but I'm actually a dove on the torii of Yasukuni Shrine".[4]

References
  1. Jun Hongo (February 15, 2013). "Tojo's granddaughter, Yuko, dies at 73". The Japan Times. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  2. Associated Press (June 11, 2007). "Tojo's granddaughter runs for office". NBC News. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  3. Kamiya, Setsuko (July 4, 2007). "Candidate Tojo seeks resolution against A-bombings". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  4. Kamiya, Setsuko (July 4, 2007). "Candidate Tojo seeks resolution against A-bombings". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
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