Evening star., 1945-12-17
konoye Suicide Seen
Increasing Prospects
0fHirohifo Abdication
BY the Associated Press.

VhnVHuV HUuTSuHVHI
By the Associated Press.
TOKYO, Dec. 17.-Prince Fu-
mimaro Konoye's dramatic sui
eide yesterday-a new and pow
erful blow to the prestige and
position of Emperor Hirohito-
may have profound repercus-
sions in the imperial household
as we'll as in political circles.
The prince himself, in his final
hours, expressed concern for the
future of the imperial house as dis
cussions of possible abdication were
revived. Some Japanese said the
suicide might be the final factor
in precipitating the Emperor's resig-
nation.
Doubtless, Hirohito personally felt
the blow deeply. Konoye long was
his close contidante and it generally
was believed the Mikado placed
great authority in 1.-The dangerous
prince
Konoye's death was swift paral-
lei blow to Gen. MacArthur's recent
directive against Shinto. That di-
rective struck deeply at Hirohito.
Before that, the widespread network
of Gen. MacArthur's war criminal
lists had stripped from around the
throne all but two of the principal
and still active court actors in the
tragedy of the past Is years. The
imperial household has been in
vaded by the arrest of Prince
Morimasa Nashimoto.
KIDD Surrenders as Criminal.
Yesterday, few hours after Ko-
noye's predawn suicide, Marquis
Koichi KIDD, until recently Lord
Keeper of the Privy Seal and an
other close adviser of the Emperor,
surrendered as a war criminal suS-
pect.
1t may have been with design,
then, that few days ago news
papers suddenly blosSomed anew
with stories about Crown Prince
Akihito, whose 18th birthday is De-
cember %.
Konoye and other high-ranking
japanese probably unwittingly-
have disclosed in interviews that
Hirohito attended key meetings
which determined on the Pacific
War and, therefore, knew as much
about the plans as cabinet men,
bers. At the outset of the occu-
patton, government officials had in
sisted that the Emperor was un-
informed of such plans.
Feared for Emperor.
The newspaper Asahi said today
that Konoye intimated to a mem
Der of the House of Peers that fear
the Emperor would be named as a
war criminal was one factor in his
suicide.
The peer, Nobuya Uchida, was
quoted in an interview as saying
that Kenoye on Saturday morning,
the day before he took his life by
poison. declared:
"It war responsibility is going to
involve the Emperor, there is no
way I can live on as subject"
Asahi added that others who saw
Konoye shortly before he died said
he repeatedly expressed concern for
the future of the Emperor in the
face "of American policies"
The japanese cabinet in extra
ordinary session decided today to
dissolve the Diet tomorrow and call
a general election for around jan
uary "a, Asahi said.
The Privy Council, meanwhile,
approved the new election law which
goes into effect at once extending
the vote for the first time to 22,-
100000 women and 100000 young
men.
Konoye Statement Revealed.
Joseph B. keenan,, special prosecu-
tor of the top war crimes case, issued
a statement after Konoye's suicide
yesterday telling the Japanese peo-
pie there is nothing to fear from
American justice if they are inno-
cent and their consciences clear
A written statement in which Ko-
move rejected the Humiliation" of
facing trial was disclosed several
hours after Princess Konoye found
his body on his bedroom floor at
o'clock yesterday morning. The
statement accepted responsibility
for the China conflict. His second
son, Michitaka, %, in a separate
statement, said his father had left
written documents defending his
part in the Tripartite Pact and the
preludes to the Pacific war.
Referring directly to the suicide,
Mr.. keenan, Sid: mo person con-
fined as suspect need fear unless
his own conscience insists on or
emphasizes his own guilt.
1T has been made abundantly
clear that no person will be con-
victed unless convicted by judicial
process which has proved its out
standing fairness for generations by
and among one of the foremost of
civilized nations.
consequently, any one who takes
his life does so either as a result
of an unsound mind or an unsound
and unWarranted estimate as to
the American judicial process in the
suppression Of crime
Last Conversation Summarized.
Michitaka summarized his last
conversation with his father, as fol-
lows:
1t is matter of great regret that
although he tried his best to bring
about solution of the China incident
and successful conclusion of Amer.
ican-Japanese conversations, he die
not succeed in saving the present
situation which Japan now is fac.
ing. He feels greatly responsible te
the Emperor and to the people.
He has already prepared som'
memoranda-one telling of tn,
progress of conversations between
Japan and America during his sec
ond and third cabinets lin 194D
and the other on the tripartite al
lance. He put down all he wantet
to say about those matters. HI
is willing to judged by these docu
nents.
He tried his best to defend tn
japanese system of government ant
national r,o1io1y (u,bicb iY,ol,,Jae ~,