But, whatever his true desire, his subsequent actions were – once again – not those of a man actively trying to find a path to peace. For months, he told himself and others that first “Japan must have another brilliant military gain” over the US, so that it would have a modicum of diplomatic clout in negotiating a postwar settlement.
但是，不管他真正渴望什么，他接下来的行动——再一次地——并非一个积极地试图寻找和平之路的人所应该做的。在几个月的时间里，他告诉自己和其他人，首先“日本必须再次取得对美国的军事大胜”，这样就能在战后和解谈判中获得些许外交优势。不消说，无数日本人和非日本人在这几个月的优柔寡断中失去了生命。