Hajime Sugiyama (杉山 元, Sugiyama Hajime / Sugiyama Gen, January 1, 1880 – September 12, 1945) was a Japanese field marshal and one of the heads of Japan's military leadership for most of World War II. He served intermittently as Chief of the Imperial Army General Staff, and Minister of the Army between 1937 and 1945. As Army Minister in 1937, Sugiyama was a driving force behind the launch of hostilities against China in retaliation for the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. After being named the Army’s Chief of Staff in 1940, he became a leading proponent for expansion into Southeast Asia and ultimately preventive war against the United States. Upon the outbreak of the Asia-Pacific War on December 7, 1941, Sugiyama served as the army’s commander-in-chief until his removal by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo in February 1944. Following Tojo's ouster, he held the post of Army Minister in Kuniaki Koiso'scabinet until its dissolution in April 1945.