Which Japanese prince became prime minister on 17 August 1945, after the surrender announcement?

Naruhiko Higashikuni became Japan’s prime minister on 17 August 1945, after the surrender announcement.

Prince Higashikuni succeeded Kantarō Suzuki, whose cabinet had overseen Japan’s final wartime decisions and the acceptance of the Allied terms. Higashikuni’s cabinet was formed during the tense transition immediately after Emperor Hirohito’s broadcast and the failed Kyūjō coup.

The new government faced the beginning of the Allied occupation, the disbanding of Japan’s armed forces, food shortages, and the administration of a defeated country. Higashikuni was a member of the Japanese imperial family and had served as a senior army officer.

His cabinet lasted only until 9 October 1945. It was followed by the Shidehara cabinet. Higashikuni is sometimes confused with Prince Fumimaro Konoe, another prominent imperial prince who served as prime minister before and during the war, but Konoe did not lead the post-surrender cabinet formed on 17 August.