I'm John Betcher with Peter Moke, the author of the new book Tojo, The Rise and Fall of Japan's General, Yes, War Minister, Yes, Army Minister, Yes,

Premier Prime Minister, Yes,

and a man who had to balance resources with ambitions, with victory or defeat.

In the first six months of the war from December 7, 1941, until June of 42, Battle of Midway,

Japan is doing extremely well. Everything's as if on a time schedule.

And they've taken the allusions. They probed it.

Australia.

They air raid on Darwin, air raid on

India.

Well, not quite India, but close to it,

the Indian sphere.

And they have ambitions to protect all of this

in the first six months.

And then they run into what you'd

say at this point was something that happens in war. They ran into a battle they couldn't win.

They got blindsided by the American carriers, battled midway. They lost four carriers in a day,

and right away, Tojo, who's also in charge of propaganda and the Ministry of Information,

does not want to tell the Japanese people they've lost four carriers in one day.

Therein he becomes defensive.

And Peter, that's the question about Tojo.

He's now taken charge of the police, of information, of the Ministry of Commerce, resupply,

of the war ministry, of the Army.

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