| Imperial Japanese Army General and Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō (December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) addresses the nation during a radio broadcast in support of Taisei Yokusankai candidates for the Diet. The 21st General Election of Members of the House of Representatives, also known as the 1942 General Election, or the Tōjō Yokusan Senkyo (“Tōjō Assistance Election”), was held on April 30, 1942. Under the strict surveillance of Tōjō’s Imperial Rule Assistance Association, the electorate gave his officially endorsed candidates a landslide victory. Thereafter, Tōjō’s initiatives met with no difficulties in the Diet. In 1940, all political parties were merged into the Taisei Yokusankai (“Imperial Rule Assistance Association”), founded by then-Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoe (October 12, 1891 – December 16, 1945), as part of his Shintaisei (“New Order”) Nationalism movement. Taisei Yokusankai was led by former Prime Minister and Imperial Japanese Army General Nobuyuki Abe (November 24, 1875 – September 7, 1953) by 1942. Tōjō called for elections in January 1942. He sought to control the Diet and eliminate opposition to his wartime expenditures, effectively transforming Japan into a 1-party state. The Meiji Constitution did not allow the simple removal of independent candidates. 613 independent candidates stood against Taisei Yokusankai. Initially, the election did not create the interest that Tōjō had hoped for. But on April 18, 1942, 16 North American B-25B Mitchell medium bombers launched from USS Hornet (CV-6) under the command of United States Army Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993). They bombed targets across Japan, including Tokyo. Tōjō and the other leaders were shocked and embarrassed. Punishing retribution was ordered for the Chinese populace around the airfields receiving the B-25s; a quarter 1,000,000 Chinese died. The shock and excitement caused 83 percent of eligible 25-year-olds or older to go to the polls. 381 of Taisei Yokusankai’s candidates received 66 percent of the vote. The independents received a 3rd of the vote, and the Japanese Nazi Tōhōkai Party elected 7 candidates. When the Diet met in May, a new body, the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association, was formed, and 98 percent of the legislators joined it. The Doolittle Raid lent a new sense of purpose to the Japanese people and served Premier Tōjō’s purpose very well, too. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1515.jpg |
| Image Size | 1,003.60 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 4339 x 2638 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 27, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Tokyo |
| State or Province | Tokyo |
| Country | Japan |
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| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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