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1947-Dated Silk Japanese Flag Signed by four top World War II Japanese Officials

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:3,500.00 - 4,500.00 USD
1947-Dated Silk Japanese Flag Signed by four top World War II Japanese Officials
Autographs
Japanese Major General HIDECKI TOJO who served as Prime Minister of Japan & BARON HIRANUMA KIICHIRO Senior Advisor to Emperor Hirohito & MAMORU SHIGEMITSU Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs & SHIGETARO SHIMADA Japanese Admiral who Approved the Plans for the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Signed Japanese Flag by Four top World War II Japanese Officials
HIDECKI TOJO (1884-1948). Japanese Major General of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association for most of World War II. BARON HIRANUMA KIICHIRO (1867-1952). Senior Advisor to Emperor Hirohito during World War II. MAMORU SHIGEMITSU, (1881-1957). Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II, One of the Signers of the Instrument of Surrender September 2, 1945. SHIGETARO SHIMADA (1883-1976). Japanese Admiral, Approved the Plans for the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
December 5, 1947-Dated, Remarkable Signed Silk Japanese Flag, Signed by Four top World War II Japanese Officials; “Ex-Premier / General Hideki Tojo”, “Baron Kiichiro Hiranuma / Ex-President of Privy Consul”, “Ex Foreign Minister / Shigemitsu Mamoru” and “Ex Navy Minister / Admiral Shigataro Shimada”, Choice Extremely Fine. All boldly written in rich black, and also... Handwritten along bottom edge is firsthand documentation of the Signing Event:

“Witnessed Tokyo Japan 12/5/47 Arthur Bell Jr. / Capt. C.M.P. U.S. Army”. Flag measures about 18” x 16”, professionally framed to 24.25” x 22.25” viewed through special UV Plexiglas.

The flag is clean with only slight tone with a light vertical centerfold, bold vivid signatures and a very rare combination of four top Japanese figures of W.W.II.
Brief history of each signer:

1. Hideki Tojo[1] (30 December 1884 – 23 December 1948) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II, from 18 October 1941 to 22 July 1944. After the end of the war, Tojo was sentenced to death for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and executed on 23 December 1948.

2. Baron Hiranuma Kiichiro (28 September 1867 - 22 August 1952) was a prominent pre-World War II right-wing Japanese politician and the 35th Prime Minister of Japan from 5 January 1939 to 30 August 1939. The modern Japanese politician, Takeo Hiranuma, is his adopted son.

Hiranuma served as one the Jushin, or unofficial senior advisors to Emperor Hirohito during World War II. Hiranuma saw the jushin as the core of a new group of genro advisors, as the last surviving Meiji period genro Prince Kimmochi Saionji, died in November 1940. The new group included former Prime Ministers Mitsumasa Yonai, Nobuyuki Abe, and Konoe Fumimaro, all of whom supported Japan's aggressive foreign policy and the right-socialist ideals of Kingoro Hashimoto on creation of a Military Shogunate that would manage the Imperial affairs directly.

In April 1945, Hiranuma was again appointed President of the Privy Council. After the war, he was arrested by the American Occupation Authorities and was convicted by International Military Tribunal for the Far East as a Class A War Criminal and given a life sentence. However, he was paroled in early 1952, and died shortly afterwards. His grave is at Tama Cemetery, outside of Tokyo.

3. Mamoru Shigemitsu (July 29, 1881–January 26, 1957), was the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of World War II. He, along with Yoshijiro Umezu, signed the instrument of surrender on September 2, 1945. He was later convicted of war crimes by taking part in Unit 731, and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. He was paroled in 1950, and again served as Foreign minister from 1954 until 1956. He represented Japan at the UN General Assembly when it became the 80th member of the United Nations on December 18, 1956.

4. Shigetaro Shimada (24 September 1883 – 7 June 1976) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Shimada was named Minister of the Navy on 18 October 1941. During his term as Navy Minister, he knew of the plans for the attack on Pearl Harbor and approved its implementation. Although largely regarded as a submissive lackey for his reputation of meek submissiveness and unquestioning loyalty to Prime Minister Hideki Tojo (which created considerably unpopularity and criticism among his naval associates, who would refer to him as "Tojo's Yurufun" ("Tojo's Droopy Drawers"), Tojo's "tea servant" or "briefcase carrier" behind his back), Shimada played an important role in working with Tojo in coordinating military operations between the Army and Navy during the early years of the Pacific War.

After a series of major Japanese losses, Emperor Hirohito lost confidence in both the Army and Naval Chiefs of Staff. As such, Tojo was able to dismiss Chief of the Army General Staff Hajime Sugiyama and Chief of the Naval General Staff Osami Nagano. Tojo assumed the role of Army Chief while Shimada became Naval Chief on 21 February 1944, concurrent with his position as Naval Minister. This reorganization made Shimada supreme commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy.