Which cabinet of Japan took office after the country announced its surrender in August 1945?

The Higashikuni Cabinet took office after Japan announced its surrender in August 1945.

Led by Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, it was Japan’s 43rd cabinet and formed on 17 August 1945, shortly after the surrender announcement. Its main tasks included preserving government continuity during the transition and overseeing the disbanding of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy.

The cabinet followed the Kantarō Suzuki Cabinet, which had governed during the final weeks of the war and the surrender decision. The Higashikuni Cabinet therefore belonged to the immediate post-surrender period, rather than to the government that made the decision to accept the Allied terms.

The cabinet remained in office until 9 October 1945. It resigned after a dispute with Allied occupation authorities over repeal of the Peace Preservation Law and was replaced by the Shidehara Cabinet. The Allied occupation had begun on 28 August, before Higashikuni’s cabinet left office.