The was a cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan, charged with the procurement and manufacture of armaments, spare parts and munitions to support the Japanese war effort in World War II.
History The Ministry of Munitions was created on 1 November 1943 National Diet Library out of the Board of Planning of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which was subsequently abolished. With an increasing portion of Japan's industrial base and infrastructure damaged by Allied air raids, the Japanese government felt it necessary to unify the administration of munitions production to improve efficiency and to increase production levels, particularly that of military aircraft. The concept was inspired by the German Ministry of Armaments and Munitions under Fritz Todt and Albert Speer, which had successfully increased Nazi Germany's industrial production under similar adverse conditions, and was also an unsuccessful political move by the military to impose more control over the zaibatsu.Friedman, The Misunderstood Miracle, page 61
Although Prime Minister Tōjō concurrently was first Minister of Munitions, the actual day-to-day running of the Ministry devolved to his deputy, Nobusuke Kishi.Roth, Dilemma in Japan
Key firms were designated as components of the nationalized Munitions Companies System, and managers were given positions as government officials. Production staff was regarded as conscript labor and was not allowed to quit, or go on strike.Yamamura, The Economic Emergence of Modern Japan, page 155 State-controlled financial institutions provided working capital and subsidized the firms for any losses.Hoshi, Corporate Financing and Governance in Japan: The Road to the Future, page 60
The Ministry of Munitions was abolished in 1945, by the American occupation authorities, and its functions were absorbed into the modern Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).Neary, The State and Politics in Japan, page 45
Organization Munitions Minister Secretariat General Operations Bureau Aircraft Production Bureau Mechanical Bureau Iron & Steel Bureau Light Metals Bureau Non-Metallic Materials Bureau Chemical Bureau Fuels Bureau Electricity Bureau
List of ministers
No. Portrait Name Term of office Cabinet 1 Hideki Tōjō東條 英機 1 November1943 22 July1944 Tōjō 2 Ginjirō Fujiwara藤原 銀次郎 22 July1944 19 December1944 Koiso 3 Shigeru Yoshida吉田 茂 19 December1944 7 April1945 4 Teijirō Toyoda豊田 貞次郎 7 April1945 17 August1945 Suzuki 5 Chikuhei Nakajima中島 知久平 17 August1945 26 August1945 Higashikuni
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