influence Japanese national policy in line with their views and plans for Japanese expansion. On 8 July 1940 Vice War Minister MINAMI advised KIDO that "the military have been perfecting pre¬parations to meet the abrupt changes in the latest world situa¬tion," that "the character of the YONAI Cabinet is not at all suitable for making negotiations with Germany and Italy," and that the YONAI Cabinet "might even cause a fatal delay," "The conclusion," he said, "is that a cabinet change is inevitable in order to face this grave situation. The Army unanimously will support Prince KONOYE1s candidacy" for the head of a new govern¬ment. 147 War Minister HATA resigned from the Cabinet on 16 July 1940. Due to the practice of having Three Military Chiefs make the recommendation for a successor, and their reluctance to make a recommendation under the circumstances, the YONAI Cabinet resigned en bloc on the same day, 16 July 1940. 148 There are two slightly divergent explanations given in the diary of KIDO regarding the circumstances under which the YONAI Cabinetfs resignation took place. Vice War Minister A Mill was reported to have informed the Chief Aide de Camp that several days prior to 16 July 1940 a memorandum containing the Army's opinion was sub¬mitted to Premier YONAI who summoned War Minister HATA on the last-mentioned date and told him that the Army's idea was differ¬ent from that of the present cabinet and requested him to resign "in case of inconvenience." The War Minister submitted his resignation at once. YONAI asked him to recommend his successor, 147.Exhibit 532, TP 6,243. 148.Exhibit 532, TP 6,247.