Who were the world leaders in WWII?

Who were the emperors/leaders/government figures in Japan during WWII?

• If anyone knows the names of any leaders from maybe a bit before WWII and during WWII that would be very helpful :) I'd be able to look them up more easily. Thanks in advance :)

• Answer:

  The ones I know of are Emperor Hirohito. He is revered by the Japanese people as a godlike figure, much as the Queen of England would be considered. A key figure was Hideki Tojo. He was the War Minister of Japan and later became the Prime Minister. Tojo was really the driving force behind Japanese aggression in World War II. It was his goal to make the Asian Rim and the Pacific the Empire of Japan by any means, usually brutal. Tojo was much like Adolf Hitler in his brutality and desire for conquest. His counterpart was Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the supreme commander of the Kaigun: the Imperial Japanese Navy. Yamamoto had attended college in America and was quite familiar with America and our people. Prior to December 7, 1941, Yamamoto fervently appealed to the Japanese Diet (cabinet) to negotiate for peace. He knew what a war with America would involve. Yamamoto was a man of peace who wanted to avoid war with the U.S. if at all possible. His famous quote "There is no last word in negotiation." says it all. Sadly, Yamamoto was overruled and was ordered to plan a devastating attack against the American fleet and our Pacific claims. Though torn between his respect for America and his loyalty to Japan, he masterminded the assault on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, as well as a sweeping campaign of island conquest. His sweep was stopped at the battle of Midway where he lost four IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) aircraft carriers: a loss from which the IJN and Japan never recovered.