Konoe Fumimaro's Tekigaiso Villa

Tekigaiso (荻外荘, literally "Villa Beyond the Reeds") is the former private residence of Prince Konoe Fumimaro (近衞文麿, 1891–1945), who served as Prime Minister of Japan for three terms: the 34th (June 1937 – January 1939), 38th (July 1940 – July 1941), and 39th (July – October 1941). The estate is located in the tranquil residential neighborhood of Ogikubo, Suginami Ward, Tokyo.

The building was originally constructed in 1927 (Shōwa 2) as a suburban villa for Dr. Irisawa Tatsukichi (入澤達吉), physician-in-chief to Emperor Taishō. Irisawa commissioned the renowned architect Itō Chūta (伊東忠太) — famous for designing the Meiji Shrine and the Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple — to create a single-story wooden structure blending Western and Japanese architectural elements. Prince Konoe persuaded Irisawa to sell him the property in 1937 (Shōwa 12) and renovated the interior to a more traditional Japanese style. The name "Tekigaiso" was bestowed by the last genrō (elder statesman) Saionji Kinmochi (西園寺公望), derived from a classical Chinese phrase meaning "a villa beyond the reeds of Ogi(kubo)."

During Konoe's years as Prime Minister, Tekigaiso functioned as far more than a private home — it became an informal center of wartime policy-making where some of the most fateful decisions in modern Japanese history were shaped:

The Ogikubo Conference (荻窪会談) — July 19, 1940:

Just days before forming his second cabinet, Konoe convened a secret meeting at Tekigaiso with his designated key ministers: Army Minister Tōjō Hideki (東條英機), Navy Minister Yoshida Zengo (吉田善吾), and Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yōsuke (松岡洋右). They agreed on the fundamental policies that would define Japan's wartime trajectory: strengthening the Axis alliance with Germany and Italy (leading to the Tripartite Pact signed on September 27, 1940), advancing the southward expansion into Southeast Asia, establishing the "New Order in East Asia," and creating the Imperial Rule Assistance Association (大政翼賛会, Taisei Yokusankai) to consolidate all political parties into a single national movement.

The Tekigaiso Conference (荻外荘会談) — October 12, 1941:

As US-Japan negotiations reached a critical impasse, Konoe held a desperate last-ditch meeting at his residence with Army Minister Tōjō, Navy Minister Oikawa Koshirō (及川古志郎), and Foreign Minister Toyoda Teijirō (豊田貞次郎). Konoe sought to find a diplomatic solution, but Tōjō adamantly refused to consider any withdrawal of Japanese troops from China, declaring that concessions would negate the sacrifices of soldiers who had died in the conflict. The meeting ended in deadlock. Four days later, on October 16, 1941, the Konoe cabinet resigned en masse. Tōjō was appointed Prime Minister on October 18, and within seven weeks, on December 7 (December 8 Japan time), Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Konoe's Death — December 16, 1945:

Following Japan's surrender, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) issued an arrest warrant for Konoe as a suspected Class-A war criminal. On the morning of December 16, 1945 — the day he was ordered to report to Sugamo Prison — Konoe was found dead in his study at Tekigaiso, having taken potassium cyanide during the night. He was 54 years old. He left behind a written statement defending his political career and criticizing the militarists who had pushed Japan into war.

After Konoe's death, the villa remained in the Konoe family's possession. Following the death in 2012 of Konoe's second son Michitaka, who had long lived there, Suginami Ward acquired the property in 2014. The surrounding grounds were opened as Tekigaiso Park (荻外荘公園) in March 2015. In 2016, the estate was designated a National Historic Site of Japan (国指定史跡) for its exceptional significance as a locus of wartime political decision-making. The Suginami Ward government undertook a major restoration project, carefully dismantling and rebuilding the main structure to its wartime-era appearance. The restored villa opened to the public on December 9, 2024, allowing visitors to see the rooms where these momentous conferences took place.