Summary Brief re HIROTA (Koki) Foreign Minister under OKADA from September, 1933, to July, 1934, HIROTA was appointed Premier in March, 1936, and continued in office, concurrently as Foreign Minister, until February, 1937. He was appointed Foreign Minister in the KONOYE Cabinet in June, 1937, and served until May, 1938. Thereafter (1940) he was a member of the Council of Former Premiers. In January, 1934, he announced the “HIROTA Doctrine” which, in effect, would have made China a complete Japanese colony. As Premier his views were not in disagreement with the Army. His Cabinet adopted the “Five Year Plan for Japan and Manchuria” and passed and approved on the 17h of May, 1936, the law requiring that War and Navy Ministers be selected from those Generals and Admirals on active duty status. During his Premiership the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed (November 25, 1936) and approved. HIROTA was Foreign Minister to the KONOYE (first) Cabinet when on July 7, 1937, Japan attacked the Republic of China. He subsequently stated that China “ignoring our true motives has mobilized” and “in the cause of righteousness we shall deal a decisive blow.” In the council of the Former Premiers in September, 1940, HIROTA proposed the Tri-Partite Pact and in a later meeting of the Former Premiers, this group selected TOJO as Premier. HIROTA attended the meeting of Former Premiers on November 29, 1941, which decided to reject the proposal of Hull and continue the use of arms in China. HIROTA is typical of the group of men, not militarists themselves, who submitted to Arm pressure for control of the government and by condoning each aggression and accepting the fruits thereof gave impetus to the next aggression.