The army minister beside Konoe is Field Marshal Hajime Sugiyama, a senior officer who held the war portfolio. After Japan surrendered, Sugiyama completed preparations for dissolving the Imperial Japanese Army. On 12 September 1945, ten days after the formal surrender, he died by suicide at his desk; his wife also died by suicide at home. His death connects a figure from Konoe's prewar cabinet to the institutional end of the army he had served.
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Hajime Sugiyama and the Imperial Japanese Army's dissolution
Konoe's army minister later prepared the Imperial Japanese Army for dissolution and died shortly after Japan's surrender.