日米英開戦詔勅(宣戦布告文)
★日米英開戦詔勅(宣戦布告文)
天佑を保有し、萬世一系の皇祚を踐める大日本帝國天皇は、昭に忠誠勇武なる汝有衆に示す。 朕、茲に米國、及、英國に対して戰を宣す。
朕が陸海將兵は、全力を奮て交戰に從事し、朕が百僚有司は、勵精職務を奉行し、朕が衆庶は、各々其の本分を盡し、億兆一心、國家の總力を擧げて征戰の目的を達成するに遺算なからむことを期せよ。
抑々、東亞の安定を確保し、以て世界の平和に寄與するは、丕顕なる皇祖考丕承なる皇考の作述せる遠猷にして、朕が拳々措かざる所。
而して、列國との交誼を篤くし萬邦共榮の樂を偕にするは、之亦、帝國が常に國交の要義と爲す所なり。今や不幸にして米英両國と釁端を開くに至る。洵に已むを得ざるものあり。豈、朕が志ならむや。
中華民國政府、曩に帝國の眞意を解せず、濫に事を構へて、東亞の平和を攪亂し、遂に帝國をして、干戈を執るに至らしめ、茲に四年有餘を經たり。幸に國民政府、更新するあり。帝國は、之と善隣の誼を結び相提携するに至れるも、重慶に殘存する政權は米英の庇蔭を恃みて、兄弟尚未だ牆に相鬩くを悛めず、米英両國は殘存政權を支援して東亞の禍亂を助長し、平和の美名に匿れて東洋制覇の非望を逞うせむとす。剰へ與國を誘ひ、帝國の周邊に於て武備を増強して我に挑戰し、更に帝國の平和的通商に有らゆる妨害を與へ、遂に經濟斷交を敢てし、帝國の生存に重大なる脅威を加ふ。
朕は、政府をして事態を平和の裡に囘復せしめむとし、隠忍久しきに彌りたるも、彼は毫も交讓の精神なく、徒に時局の解決を遷延せしめて、此の間、却つて益々經濟上、軍事上の脅威を増大し、以て我を屈從せしめむとす。
斯の如くにして推移せむが、東亞安定に關する帝國積年の努力は、悉く水泡に帰し帝國の存立、亦、正に危殆に瀕せり。事既に此に至る。帝國は今や自存自衞の爲、蹶然起つて一切の障礙を破碎するの外なきなり。
皇祖皇宗の神靈、上に在り。朕は汝有衆の忠誠勇武に信倚し、祖宗の遺業を恢弘し、速に禍根を芟除して東亞永遠の平和を確立し、以て帝國の光榮を保全せむことを期す。
御名御璽
昭和十六年十二月八日
IMPERIAL RESCRIPT ON WAR AGAINST AMERICA AND BRITAIN
His Majesty the Mukado of the Great Japanese Empire, seated on the throne of an eternal single pedigree under the wing of Heaven, makes the following
announcement clearly to His loyal and brave subjects:
We hereby declare war on the United States and the United Kingdom, expecting every officer and man of Our army and navy to engage in battle with all their might, Our civil service establishment to perform their duties with fidelity and Our rabble to do their best in order to attain the aims of the crusade for a certainty with all the sources of the whole nation.
To start with, it is an ambitious plan mapped out by the magnificent Emperor of Meiji and His great succsessor, to which We always stick , to secure the stability of East Asia with the idea to going a long way to world peace. And therefore it is also Our Empire's constant foreign policy to cultivate a friendship with all nations in mutual prosperity. It, however, has now been forced to open hostilities with both the countries of America and Britain unfortunately against Our will. How regrettable! A matter of four years have fleeted away since the Government of the Republic of China failed to understand the true intention of Our Empire to disturb the peace of East Asia by stirring up trouble at random, and it finally compelled Our Empire to take the sword. Fortunately the leading faction of the National Government tread the sawdust trail. Then Our Empire has entered into neighborly relations with the said faction for the benefit of a tie-up. Bat the administration that continues to exist in Chunking, which banks on the patronage of America and Britain, has not yet amended sibling rivalry, and both the countries have given support to the surviving administration, which has resulted in encouraging affrays in East Asia, harboring their inordinate ambition for the conquest of the Orient under the cover of peace. For the purpose of challenging Our Empire, they moreover induce other countries to reinforce military forces around there and interfere with Its peaceful commerce by any means, such as a rupture of economic relations, which has as a result constituted a serious threat to the subsistence of Our Empire. Although We have for a long timr ordered Our Government to restore pacification with patience, they, lacking the merest grain of mutual concession spirit, only delayed a settlement of the situation in vain. In the meantime a military and economic menace has increased all the more. Taking advantage of this, they tried to make Our Empire surrender. Such being the case, years of efforts made by Our Empire to establish the stability of East Asia, to the last one, have come to naught, and Its continuance is no doubt on the verge of a crisis. At this juncture, Our Empire does nothing but rise decisively to action and crush all obstacles for the sake of Its self-existence and self-defense.
Under the protection of the supernal holy spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors We, relying on the loyalty and bravery of Our subjects, aim at the furtherance of the task left by the said forefathers and the establishment of the everlasting peace of East Asia by removing the thorn with expedition in order to preserve the glory of Our Empire.
The Imperial Signature(Hirohito) with the Privy Seal.
The eighth day of December, the sixteenth year of Showa(1941).
(※英文の引用はこちらより)