Immediately after, he dismayed those around him by granting an amnesty to Communist Party members who had violated the Maintenance of Public Order Law and detainees from the February 26 Incident, justifying his actions as 'an attempt to reconcile the various opinions within the nation.'
その直後には、「国内各論の融和を図る」ことを大義名分として、治安維持法違反の共産党員や二・二六事件の逮捕・服役者を大赦しようと主張して、周囲を驚愕させた。