Yoshio Shiga (志賀 義雄, Shiga Yoshio; 12 January 1901 – 6 March 1989) was a member of the Japanese Communist Party.
Politician・Legislator: 2,229 people
Yoshio Shiga (志賀 義雄, Shiga Yoshio; 12 January 1901 – 6 March 1989) was a member of the Japanese Communist Party.
Toshio Irie (入江 俊郎, Irie Toshio; January 10, 1901 – July 18, 1972) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician. Born and…
Toshio Irie (入江 俊郎, Irie Toshio; January 10, 1901 – July 18, 1972) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician. Born and raised in Tokyo, Toshio attended Tokyo University and joined the Home Affairs Ministry on graduation. He became Counselor for the Bureau of Legislation in 1927, and served in various posts there. In 1946, under Yoshida Shigeru Toshio was promoted to Director-General of the Bureau. In this role, he assisted in drafting the reforms to the post-war Constitution of Japan, and served on the Cabinet's committee for dealing with legislative problems. After the enactment of the new constitution, Toshio was appointed to the House of Peers, and two years later he was promoted to Commissioner General of the House of Representatives' Legislative Bureau. He later served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 1952 to 1970, the longest recorded tenure in that office. After his retirement from public office in 1971, Toshio became a lecturer at Komazawa University. He died the following year.
Shōichi Miyake (三宅 正一, Miyake Shōichi, 28 November 1900 – 23 May 1982) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and…
Shōichi Miyake (三宅 正一, Miyake Shōichi, 28 November 1900 – 23 May 1982) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and politician who served as Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1976 to 1979.
Tenrei Ōta (Japanese: 太田 典礼 Ōta Tenrei), born Takeo Ōta (太田 武夫 Ōta Takeo; 1900–1985) was a Japanese…
Tenrei Ōta (Japanese: 太田 典礼 Ōta Tenrei), born Takeo Ōta (太田 武夫 Ōta Takeo; 1900–1985) was a Japanese obstetrician-gynaecologist and politician. He invented the Ōta ring, an early intrauterine device (IUD). Throughout his life, he was an outspoken advocate for contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. Some of his beliefs were rooted in eugenics, and during his time as a member of Japan's House of Representatives, he drafted and co-sponsored the Eugenic Protection Law.
Junzō Inamura (稲村 順三, Inamura Junzō, 30 September 1900 – 21 February 1955) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and…
Junzō Inamura (稲村 順三, Inamura Junzō, 30 September 1900 – 21 February 1955) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and politician who served five terms in the House of Representatives. Active in the prewar proletarian and agrarian movements, he later became a leading figure in the left wing of the Japan Socialist Party and the Left Socialist Party of Japan, helping draft its platform. He died suddenly during the 1955 general election campaign; his elder brother Ryūichi Inamura ran as a replacement candidate and was elected. He used the pen name Susumu Murakami (村上 進).
Kingo Machimura (町村 金五, Machimura Kingo; 16 August 1900 – 14 December 1992) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Kingo Machimura (町村 金五, Machimura Kingo; 16 August 1900 – 14 December 1992) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Toyama Prefecture (1941–1943), Governor of Niigata Prefecture (1945) and the second Governor of Hokkaido (1959–1971). He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun. His second son was Nobutaka Machimura, who was twice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan.
Michiko Fujiwara (藤原 道子, Fujiwara Michiko; 26 May 1900 – 26 April 1983) was a Japanese nurse and politician. She…
Michiko Fujiwara (藤原 道子, Fujiwara Michiko; 26 May 1900 – 26 April 1983) was a Japanese nurse and politician. She initially campaigned for her husband, the politician Kenji Yamazaki, but when he returned from the war with a new wife and child she ran against him. She defeated him as a candidate from the Socialist Party of Japan. She would become concerned with fighting child prostitution.
Kōzō Sasaki (佐々木 更三, Sasaki Kōzō; 25 May 1900 – 24 December 1985) was a Japanese socialist agitator and politician. The…
Kōzō Sasaki (佐々木 更三, Sasaki Kōzō; 25 May 1900 – 24 December 1985) was a Japanese socialist agitator and politician. The longtime leader of the left wing of the Japan Socialist Party in the postwar period, he served as chairman of party from 1965 to 1967. Small in stature and possessed of a fiery temper and a thick rural Tōhoku accent, he was a loud-mouthed and charismatic figure nicknamed "Kōzō the Ogre."
En Sugawara (Japanese: 菅原エン; 27 February 1900 – 16 February 1994) was a Japanese suffragist and politician. She was one…
En Sugawara (Japanese: 菅原エン; 27 February 1900 – 16 February 1994) was a Japanese suffragist and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Koshiro Ueki (植木 庚子郎, Ueki Kōshirō; 28 January 1900 – 11 March 1980) was a Japanese politician. He served as justice…
Koshiro Ueki (植木 庚子郎, Ueki Kōshirō; 28 January 1900 – 11 March 1980) was a Japanese politician. He served as justice minister for two terms and as finance minister.
Hirokichi Nadao (Japanese: 灘尾 弘吉; 21 December 1899 – 22 January 1994) was a Japanese politician. Throughout his career…
Hirokichi Nadao (Japanese: 灘尾 弘吉; 21 December 1899 – 22 January 1994) was a Japanese politician. Throughout his career, he served as Minister of Education multiple times, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Governor of Oita Prefecture. Nadao was known for his hawkish attitudes. He held an aggressive stance towards Nikkyoso, the teachers' union of Japan, and unions in general (represented by Sōhyō). He was also one of the main people behind Prime Minister Eisaku Satō's foreign policy. In the mid-1970s, he was regarded as one of the most powerful men in Japan.
Hayato Ikeda (池田 勇人, Ikeda Hayato; 3 December 1899 – 13 August 1965) was a Japanese politician who served as prime…
Hayato Ikeda (池田 勇人, Ikeda Hayato; 3 December 1899 – 13 August 1965) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double the size of Japan's economy in 10 years, and for presiding over the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Ikeda studied law at Kyoto Imperial University and entered the Ministry of Finance in 1925, working there for the next two decades. After the war, he was first elected to the National Diet in 1947 and served as finance minister from 1949 to 1952 under Shigeru Yoshida, being responsible implementing an economic stabilization program. Ikeda briefly headed the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1952, but resigned after a no-confidence motion. He returned as finance minister under Tanzan Ishibashi from 1956 to 1957, and as international trade and industry minister from 1959 to 1960. Ikeda succeeded Nobusuke Kishi as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prime minister in 1960, following Kishi's resignation amid the massive Anpo protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty. Seeking to redirect the nation's energies away from social conflict and in the direction of economic growth, Ikeda announced his Income Doubling Plan and helped Japan to double its GDP in a period of just seven years. During his tenure, Ikeda worked to repair the rift in U.S.–Japan relations and to ease the domestic political divisions which had been exacerbated by the recent protests, played an important role in settling the Miike Struggle, and oversaw the successful 1964 Olympic Games before resigning due to ill health.
Tetsuzo Kojima (29 September 1909 – 10 January 1988) was a Japanese jurist who served as the minister of justice…
Tetsuzo Kojima (29 September 1909 – 10 January 1988) was a Japanese jurist who served as the minister of justice briefly between July and December 1960.
Cho Bong-am (Korean: 조봉암; Hanja: 曺奉岩, 25 September 1898 – 31 July 1959) was a Korean socialist independence activist…
Cho Bong-am (Korean: 조봉암; Hanja: 曺奉岩, 25 September 1898 – 31 July 1959) was a Korean socialist independence activist and politician, who ran for president in the South Korean presidential election in 1956. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Korea (조선공산당; 朝鮮共産黨) and the Progressive Party (진보당; 進步黨), a moderate socialist democratic party in South Korea which was one of the country's major political forces. In 1919, Cho Bong-am participated in March 1st Movement and was imprisoned for the duration of one year. Cho Bong-am studied in Japan and the Soviet Union. In the 1920s, he was active in the Korean Communist Party. After Japanese rule, Cho left the Communist Party in 1946, criticising it for its subservience to the Soviet Union. After the end of the United States Army Military Government in Korea in 1947, Cho became the Minister of Agriculture under Syngman Rhee's presidency. In 1952, Cho ran for the presidency for the first time against sitting president Rhee, and Yi Si-yeong. He received only 0.8 million votes out of 5.2 million. The left-liberal Progressive Party was founded in the aftermath of the Korean War under Cho's leadership. Cho and his followers were able to build a wide coalition with the country's leftist forces. Cho also successfully created coalitions with right-wing forces opposed to Syngman Rhee's dictatorship. The party's founding and moderate success in Korea's hostile political environment is considered a large result of Bong-am's personal charisma. The Progressive Party advocated peaceful unification with North Korea, through strengthening the country's democratic forces and winning in a unified Korean election. Cho called for both anti-communist and anti-authoritarian politics, as well as advocating for social welfare policies for the peasants and urban poor. In the 1956 election, Cho ran against Rhee, the anti-communist strongman president. Cho lost with 30% of the vote, which exceeded expectations. Following the election, the Progressive Party broke apart due to factionalism. Three years after the election, Cho was charged with espionage and receiving funds from North Korea. His first trial resulted in an acquittal but he was convicted in a second trial and was executed on 31 July 1959. His death sentence was posthumously overturned in 2011 by the South Korean Supreme Court.
Tadahiko Shimazu (島津 忠彦, Shimazu Tadahiko; 30 August 1899 – 12 May 1980) or Tadahiko Shimadzu (Shimadzu Tadahiko) was a…
Tadahiko Shimazu (島津 忠彦, Shimazu Tadahiko; 30 August 1899 – 12 May 1980) or Tadahiko Shimadzu (Shimadzu Tadahiko) was a Japanese politician who served as a member of the National Diet.
Hisao Kuroda (黒田 寿男, Kuroda Hisao; 14 April 1899 – 21 October 1986) was a Japanese peasant movement activist…
Hisao Kuroda (黒田 寿男, Kuroda Hisao; 14 April 1899 – 21 October 1986) was a Japanese peasant movement activist, politician, and lawyer. He was the first chairman of the Labourers and Farmers Party (founded in 1948) and a former member of the House of Representatives.
Tsunei Kusunose (楠瀬 常猪, Kusunose Tsunei; 10 February 1899 – 18 June 1988) was the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from…
Tsunei Kusunose (楠瀬 常猪, Kusunose Tsunei; 10 February 1899 – 18 June 1988) was the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from October 1945 to November 1950. Kusunose was appointed to his position as governor at a time when the city of Hiroshima was in destruction following the first use of the nuclear bomb in August 1945. He was appointed by the Japanese government to fill that position upon the expiration of the appointment of his predecessor Genshin Takano. In 1947 he was elected to the same position and thus became the first elected governor of Hiroshima Prefecture. As part of his efforts to reconstruct the city, he held on 22 February 1946, a conference on the future of Hiroshima with the participation of historian Yoshirō Saeki, novelist Yoko Ota, deputy Mayor of Kure Tomiko Koura and others. As governor, he followed a policy of refraining from antagonizing the US military authorities in control of Hiroshima at the time, and supported the suppression by US and Australian troops of the workers' strike in June 1949 in protest of the dismissal of workers of Nihon Seiko company, an event known as the Nikko Incident. In 1950, he resigned his post as governor to run for a vacant seat in the House of Councillors. He was elected, and served until losing in the 1953 election. During his term in the House of Councillors, in 1952, was one of the initiators of a visit of sympathy by a group of survivors of the atomic attack on Hiroshima to the war criminals kept at Sugamo Prison. Died in 1988 of heart failure.
Bin Akao (赤尾敏, Akao Bin; 15 January 1899 – 6 February 1990) was a Japanese far-right (uyoku) politician who served as a…
Bin Akao (赤尾敏, Akao Bin; 15 January 1899 – 6 February 1990) was a Japanese far-right (uyoku) politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan during World War II. He was arrested 25 times for political activities. Akao was cofounder and first president of the Kenkokukai and became one of the leading ultranationalists in Japan during the 1920s. Akao was elected to the House of Representatives as an independent in 1942 and espoused a unique type of Japanese nationalism characterized by support for the United States and opposition to the Pacific War. Akao founded and became the first president of the far-right Greater Japan Patriotic Party in 1951 and continued to adamantly champion pro-United States, pro-British, and radical anti-communist stances in post-war Japan. He was known for his fiery street corner speeches, often delivered from noise trucks adorned with the Japanese flag, American flag, and Union Jack. He never held a salaried job, entering politics in his early twenties, and continued street activism into his nineties. Members of the Greater Japan Patriotic Party, both aged 17, were responsible for the 1960 assassination of Japan Socialist Party chairman Inejirō Asanuma and the Shimanaka incident. Akao, who was present at the Hibiya Public Hall when Otoya Yamaguchi fatally stabbed Asanuma, publicly praised the act; newsreel footage from Mainichi News recorded him saying the assassin "did well" and calling him "great," while a contemporary report quoted him describing Yamaguchi as "a paragon of Japanese virtue" and Asanuma’s death as "heaven-sent punishment." Akao was questioned and temporarily arrested in connection with both incidents, but was never charged with directing either attack.
Shigeri Yamataka (山高しげり, Yamataka Shigeri; 1899 – 1977) (also Kaneko Shigeri and later Yamataka Shigeri, sometimes…
Shigeri Yamataka (山高しげり, Yamataka Shigeri; 1899 – 1977) (also Kaneko Shigeri and later Yamataka Shigeri, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Shigeri Takayama) was a Japanese feminist and founder of the League for the Defense of Women's Rights. In 1952 she also took part in Chifuren, when it was formed, one of the largest women's organizations in Japan with more than 6 million members. She was also Chifuren's President.
Inejiro Asanuma (浅沼 稲次郎, Asanuma Inejirō; 27 December 1898 – 12 October 1960) was a Japanese politician and chairman of…
Inejiro Asanuma (浅沼 稲次郎, Asanuma Inejirō; 27 December 1898 – 12 October 1960) was a Japanese politician and chairman of the Japan Socialist Party from 23 March 1960 until his assassination the same year. Known for his large stature and powerful voice, he tirelessly toured the country delivering speeches, earning him the nicknames "speech-making everyman" (enzetsu hyakushō), "human locomotive" (ningen kikan-sha), and the affectionate "Numa-san". In the prewar years, Asanuma was a forceful advocate of socialist policies and tenant and farmer rights. During World War II, Asanuma aligned himself with the Imperial Rule Assistance Association and supported Japan's war in Asia. In the postwar period, Asanuma resumed forceful advocacy of socialism and sharply criticized the U.S.–Japan alliance. During visits to China in 1957 and 1959, he publicly expressed deep remorse for Japan's wartime invasion and aggression against the Chinese people and declared that "American imperialism is the common enemy of the peoples of Japan and China". These positions made him a highly polarizing figure in Japan. Despite his leftist politics, Asanuma was known for his personal reverence for the emperor, maintaining a kamidana in his modest apartment and performing daily rituals there. He lived simply in public housing for decades and was popular among working-class voters for his approachable "everyman" style. In 1960, Asanuma was assassinated with a wakizashi, a traditional short sword, by 17-year-old far-right ultranationalist Otoya Yamaguchi while speaking in a televised political debate in Tokyo. His violent death was seen in graphic detail on national television by millions of Japanese, causing widespread public shock and outrage.
Setsuo Yamada (山田 節男, Yamada Setsuo; 26 December 1898 – 8 January 1975) was a Japanese politician who served as the…
Setsuo Yamada (山田 節男, Yamada Setsuo; 26 December 1898 – 8 January 1975) was a Japanese politician who served as the Mayor of Hiroshima from 1967 until his death in 1975. He also served as a member of the House of Councillors from 1947 to 1962.
Rikizō Hirano (平野 力三, Hirano Rikizō; 5 November 1898 – 17 December 1981) was a Japanese farmers’ movement activist and…
Rikizō Hirano (平野 力三, Hirano Rikizō; 5 November 1898 – 17 December 1981) was a Japanese farmers’ movement activist and politician. He held the rank of Junior Third Rank. Originally a national socialist, he later became a leader of the anti-capitalist, anti-fascist and anti-communist farmers’ movement. Known as a “political schemer” for his involvement in the founding of numerous parties, he continued as a member of the House of Representatives after the war and served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the Katayama Cabinet. His elder brother was Hirano Masukichi. His wife, Shigeko Hirano, was a member of the House of Councillors for the Japan Socialist Party. Their second daughter, Yoshiko Hirano, became the second wife of the impresario Akira Jin (known as a “yobiyā”). Their third daughter, Teruko Hirano, was active in the Democratic Socialist Party. Saburō Hirano, who served as a Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives and later as Governor of Gifu Prefecture, was his nephew.
Kaneshichi Masuda (増田 甲子七, Masuda Kaneshichi; 4 October 1898 – 21 December 1985) was a Japanese bureaucrat, cabinet…
Kaneshichi Masuda (増田 甲子七, Masuda Kaneshichi; 4 October 1898 – 21 December 1985) was a Japanese bureaucrat, cabinet minister, and politician. A career official of the Home Ministry, he served as Governor of Fukushima Prefecture and as Director-General of the Hokkaidō Agency before entering national politics. Under Shigeru Yoshida he held cabinet office as Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minister of Labour, Minister of Transport, Minister of Construction, and the inaugural Director-General of the Hokkaido Development Agency. He later returned to cabinet as Director-General of the Defense Agency under Eisaku Satō.
Tadao Watanabe (渡辺 忠雄, Watanabe Tadao; 15 July 1898 – 6 May 1980) was a Japanese politician who served as the Mayor of…
Tadao Watanabe (渡辺 忠雄, Watanabe Tadao; 15 July 1898 – 6 May 1980) was a Japanese politician who served as the Mayor of Hiroshima from 1955 to 1959. Watanabe was elected to the House of Representatives in April 1946, but soon after lost his seat due to the purge of Japanese officials by the US occupation authorities. He was able to return to political activity only following the end of the Allied occupation in 1952.
Chiyo Sakakibara (Japanese: 榊原千代; 15 July 1898 – 28 April 1987) was a Japanese journalist, educator and politician. She…
Chiyo Sakakibara (Japanese: 榊原千代; 15 July 1898 – 28 April 1987) was a Japanese journalist, educator and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. In 1948 she was appointed Deputy Secretary of Justice, also becoming the first woman appointed to a cabinet post.
Ichirō Kōno (河野 一郎, Kōno Ichirō; June 2, 1898 – July 8, 1965) was a Japanese politician during the postwar period who…
Ichirō Kōno (河野 一郎, Kōno Ichirō; June 2, 1898 – July 8, 1965) was a Japanese politician during the postwar period who served as Deputy Prime Minister and a member of the National Diet. As Deputy Prime Minister, he was in charge of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In the 1950s and 1960s, he was the head of the powerful "Kōno Faction" within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Kōno aspired to become prime minister, but although he held a large number of important party and cabinet positions, reflecting his power and influence, he was not able to rise to the premiership before his death in 1965. Elected to represent a portion of Kanagawa Prefecture, Kōno also exercised a powerful influence over his home prefecture, to such an extent that Kanagawa came to be nicknamed "Kōno Kingdom" (河野王国, Kōno ōkoku).
Ryūichi Inamura (稲村 隆一, Inamura Ryūichi, 7 March 1898 – 20 November 1990) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and…
Ryūichi Inamura (稲村 隆一, Inamura Ryūichi, 7 March 1898 – 20 November 1990) was a Japanese peasant movement activist and politician who served four terms in the House of Representatives. Active in the prewar agrarian and leftist movements, he belonged successively to the Japanese Communist Party, the Labour-Farmer Party, the Social Masses Party, and the Tōhōkai, before joining the Japan Socialist Party after the war. He was purged from public office during the Allied occupation and later returned the Order of the Sacred Treasure in protest against its award to Ryōichi Sasakawa. His younger brother was politician Junzō Inamura and his nephew was Toshio Inamura.
Masanosuke Ikeda (池田 正之輔, Ikeda Masanosuke; 12 January 1898 – 27 March 1986) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Masanosuke Ikeda (池田 正之輔, Ikeda Masanosuke; 12 January 1898 – 27 March 1986) was a Japanese politician who served as Director of the Science and Technology Agency during the Second Ikeda Cabinet from 1960 to 1961. He also served in the Japanese House of Representatives, being elected as a non recommended independent in the 1942 Japanese general election, and again in the 1949 Japanese general election. He would then go on to serve in the House for 24 years, before refusing to run for re-election after a corruption conviction.
Etsusaburo Shiina (椎名 悦三郎, Shiina Etsusaburō; 16 January 1898 – 30 September 1979) was a career bureaucrat and…
Etsusaburo Shiina (椎名 悦三郎, Shiina Etsusaburō; 16 January 1898 – 30 September 1979) was a career bureaucrat and politician. As Foreign Minister of Japan from 1964 to 1966 he played a pivotal role in diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea.
Hisa Sawada (Japanese: 沢田ひさ; 25 November 1897 – 9 November 1979) was a Japanese suffragist and politician. She was one…
Hisa Sawada (Japanese: 沢田ひさ; 25 November 1897 – 9 November 1979) was a Japanese suffragist and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Kenji Tomita (富田健治, 1 November 1897 – 23 March 1977) was a Japanese politician. He was born in Kobe. He graduated from…
Kenji Tomita (富田健治, 1 November 1897 – 23 March 1977) was a Japanese politician. He was born in Kobe. He graduated from Kyoto University. He was governor of Nagano Prefecture (1938–1940), served as Cabinet Secretary under Fumimaro Konoe, and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1952. He was a recipient of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. Tomita was a keen martial artist, studying judo and aikido. He used his influence to protect aikido's founder Morihei Ueshiba from arrest during the Second Oomoto Incident in 1935 and was the first chairman of the Aikikai.
Huang Chao-chin (黃朝琴, Taiwanese: N̂g Tiâu-khîm, October 25, 1897 – July 5, 1972), known by the courtesy name Lan-ting…
Huang Chao-chin (黃朝琴, Taiwanese: N̂g Tiâu-khîm, October 25, 1897 – July 5, 1972), known by the courtesy name Lan-ting and pen name Chao Jin or Nien-tai, was a Taiwanese diplomat and politician. Born in Yanshui Port, Chiayi County, Taiwan under Japanese rule (now Yanshuei District, Tainan), he pursued his early education in Japan and later studied public international law in the United States. Upon completion of his studies, he went to the Republic of China to serve in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist government. He held various positions including Provincial Speaker and member of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang, and presided over the Taiwan Provincial Assembly for nearly two decades.
Eiichi Nishimura (西村 英一, Nishimura Eiichi; 28 August 1897 – 15 September 1987) was a Japanese politician, who served in…
Eiichi Nishimura (西村 英一, Nishimura Eiichi; 28 August 1897 – 15 September 1987) was a Japanese politician, who served in the Ikeda, Satō, Tanaka and Fukuda cabinets, and was the first to be appointed to the post of Director of the National Land Agency. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he held influence in Eisaku Satō and Kakuei Tanaka factions, becoming known as the "king's counselor", or the one able to speak his mind with ease.
Tsuneko Akamatsu (11 August 1897 – 21 July 1965) was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Councillors.
Katsuo Okazaki (岡崎 勝男, Okazaki Katsuo; 10 July 1897 – 10 October 1965) was a Japanese diplomat, politician and…
Katsuo Okazaki (岡崎 勝男, Okazaki Katsuo; 10 July 1897 – 10 October 1965) was a Japanese diplomat, politician and sportsman. He served as the Japanese foreign minister in the 1950s. He was also the final – and only Japanese – chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council.
Seiichirō Furuta (古田 誠一郎, Furuta Seiichirō; 27 June 1897 – 3 December 1992) was a Japanese social reformer, educator…
Seiichirō Furuta (古田 誠一郎, Furuta Seiichirō; 27 June 1897 – 3 December 1992) was a Japanese social reformer, educator, radio and TV personality, and politician from Wakayama city, Wakayama Prefecture. One of the leaders of the Boy Scouts' early days in Japan and the first to be elected mayor of Takatsuki, Osaka, he served as the director of the Scout Association of Japan, as well as executive director of the Japan Camping Federation.
Shunichi Matsumoto (松本 俊一, Matsumoto Shun'ichi; 7 June 1897 – 25 January 1987) was a Japanese diplomat and politician…
Shunichi Matsumoto (松本 俊一, Matsumoto Shun'ichi; 7 June 1897 – 25 January 1987) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, ambassador to the United Kingdom and vice minister for foreign affairs.
Count Muneyoshi Tokugawa (徳川 宗敬, Tokugawa Muneyoshi; 31 May 1897 – 1 May 1989) was a Japanese forester, politician and…
Count Muneyoshi Tokugawa (徳川 宗敬, Tokugawa Muneyoshi; 31 May 1897 – 1 May 1989) was a Japanese forester, politician and Shintō priest. His court rank was Junior Third Rank.
Zhou Fohai (Chinese: 周佛海; pinyin: Zhōu Fóhǎi; Wade–Giles: Chou Fo-hai; Hepburn: Shū Futsukai; May 29, 1897 – February…
Zhou Fohai (Chinese: 周佛海; pinyin: Zhōu Fóhǎi; Wade–Giles: Chou Fo-hai; Hepburn: Shū Futsukai; May 29, 1897 – February 28, 1948) was a Chinese politician and the second-in-command of the Executive Yuan in Wang Jingwei regime government. Zhou also led the CC Clique's branch in Wang's regime.
Aiichirō Fujiyama (藤山 愛一郎, Fujiyama Aiichirō; May 22, 1897 – February 22, 1985) was a Japanese politician of the…
Aiichirō Fujiyama (藤山 愛一郎, Fujiyama Aiichirō; May 22, 1897 – February 22, 1985) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and business executive. A business executive who symbolized "big business" in Japan as president of Dai Nippon Sugar Manufacturing Co. and executive officer of Nitto Chemical Industry Co., he used his influence to bring about the fall of Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō in 1944. After Japan's World War II surrender, Fujiyama was imprisoned without a trial for three years, having been accused of "war crimes". After his release he represented Japan at the 1951 UNESCO meeting in Paris and later served as Chairman of Japan Airlines (1951–1953). In 1955 and 1956, Fujiyama, who was Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce at the time, strongly supported Nobusuke Kishi as a successor to Ichirō Hatoyama to the President of the Liberal Democratic Party, according to a report by the Central Intelligence Agency. Fujiyama was elected to Parliament in 1957 and was reelected five times. As Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi (1957–1960), he headed Japan's first delegation to the United Nations (1957), helped revise the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty (1960), and promoted the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. He also served in the cabinet of Kishi's successor Hayato Ikeda as Director of Japan's Economic Planning Agency. During the 1960s, he controlled a personal faction within the LDP, closely aligned with the Kishi faction, and ran unsuccessfully several times for presidency of the LDP. In 1970, Fujiyama made an unsanctioned trip to the People's Republic of China in an effort to expand Japanese trade relations with China.
Shidzue Katō (加藤 シヅエ, Katō Shizue; March 2, 1897 – December 22, 2001), also published as Shidzue Ishimoto, was a…
Shidzue Katō (加藤 シヅエ, Katō Shizue; March 2, 1897 – December 22, 2001), also published as Shidzue Ishimoto, was a 20th-century Japanese feminist and one of the first women elected to the Diet of Japan, best known as a pioneer in the birth control movement. She is known in the U.S. as the "Margaret Sanger of Japan".
Yoshie Ōishi (Japanese: 大石ヨシエ; 12 February 1897 – 7 June 1971) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first…
Yoshie Ōishi (Japanese: 大石ヨシエ; 12 February 1897 – 7 June 1971) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Hisako Yoneyama (Japanese: 米山久; 17 January 1897 – 9 February 1981) was a Japanese poet, activist and politician. She…
Hisako Yoneyama (Japanese: 米山久; 17 January 1897 – 9 February 1981) was a Japanese poet, activist and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Viscount Michiharu Mishima (三島 通陽, Mishima Michiharu; 1 January 1897 – 20 April 1965) was a novelist, playwright and…
Viscount Michiharu Mishima (三島 通陽, Mishima Michiharu; 1 January 1897 – 20 April 1965) was a novelist, playwright and drama critic. His pen name was Shōdō Mishima (三島 章道 Mishima Shōdō).
Lei Chen (Chinese: 雷震; pinyin: Léi Zhèn; 8 July 1897 – 7 March 1979) was a Chinese politician and dissident who was the…
Lei Chen (Chinese: 雷震; pinyin: Léi Zhèn; 8 July 1897 – 7 March 1979) was a Chinese politician and dissident who was the early leading figure in the movement to bring fuller democracy to the government of the Republic of China. Born in Zhejiang in 1897, Lei was educated at Kyoto Imperial University in imperial Japan. His early political career included posts as the secretary-general of the National Political Assembly and Constituent National Assembly. He also served on the Control Yuan, as minister without portfolio, and presidential adviser. Lei Chen helped found and produce the periodical Free China, published beginning in 1950. Lei was expelled from the Kuomintang in 1954. Six years later, he founded the China Democracy Party with Hsu Shih-hsien and Huang Hua, among others. Shortly thereafter, Lei was charged with sedition and jailed. The charges are widely regarded as having been falsified by the Taiwan government and its then-ruling party the Kuomintang in response to Lei Chen's criticisms. He was released in 1970 and died on 7 March 1979, aged 82. He was married to Sung Ying, who had also served on the Control Yuan . Lei was posthumously exonerated by the Transitional Justice Commission in May 2019.
Nobusuke Kishi (岸 信介, Kishi Nobusuke; 13 November 1896 – 7 August 1987) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who…
Nobusuke Kishi (岸 信介, Kishi Nobusuke; 13 November 1896 – 7 August 1987) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. As a prominent reform bureaucrat, he directed the exploitative economic management of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in China in the 1930s, and later served in the wartime cabinet. Following World War II, he was imprisoned as a suspected war criminal. After his release, he helped found the Liberal Democratic Party. As Prime Minister, Kishi forcefully revised the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, but was compelled to resign following the massive Anpo protests the unpopular treaty had provoked. For his behind-the-scenes role in numerous important events, Kishi retrospectively received the nickname "Yōkai of the Shōwa era" (昭和の妖怪; Shōwa no yōkai). Kishi was the founder of the Satō–Kishi–Abe dynasty in Japanese politics, with his younger brother Eisaku Satō and his grandson Shinzo Abe both later serving as prime ministers of Japan. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kishi graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1920. He rose through the ranks at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and during the 1930s led the industrial development of Manchukuo, where he exploited Chinese slave labor. Kishi served in the wartime cabinet of Hideki Tōjō as minister of commerce and industry from 1941 to 1943 and vice minister of munitions from 1943 to 1944. At the end of the war in 1945, Kishi was imprisoned as a suspected Class A war criminal, but U.S. occupation authorities did not charge, try, or convict him, and released him in 1948 during the Reverse Course. At the end of the occupation in 1952, Kishi was de-purged, enabling his election to the National Diet in 1953. With overt and covert U.S. support, he consolidated Japanese conservatives against perceived threats from the Japan Socialist Party, and in 1955 was instrumental in forming the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Kishi was thus key in establishing the "1955 System" under which the LDP remains Japan's dominant party. Kishi served as the first secretary-general of the LDP and as foreign minister under Prime Minister Tanzan Ishibashi before succeeding Ishibashi in 1957. During his tenure, Kishi had the strong backing of business, and promoted domestic industry and commercial interests in Southeast Asia. In 1958, he introduced a bill which would have granted police vastly expanded powers, but withdrew it under heavy opposition. Kishi's mishandling of the 1960 revision of the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty led to the Anpo protests, the largest protests in Japan's modern history, and he resigned in disgrace. He remained a member of the House of Representatives until 1979 as a staunch anti-communist and conservative with links to right-wing groups.
Kiyo Takeda (Japanese: 武田キヨ; 21 September 1896 – 14 March 1954) was a Japanese educator and politician. She was one of…
Kiyo Takeda (Japanese: 武田キヨ; 21 September 1896 – 14 March 1954) was a Japanese educator and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Viscount Keizō Shibusawa (渋沢 敬三, Shibusawa Keizō; 25 August 1896 – 25 October 1963) was a Japanese businessman, central…
Viscount Keizō Shibusawa (渋沢 敬三, Shibusawa Keizō; 25 August 1896 – 25 October 1963) was a Japanese businessman, central banker, politician, philanthropist, and folklorist. He served as the 16th Governor of the Bank of Japan and later as Minister of Finance in the immediate postwar government of Kijūrō Shidehara.
Misu Nomura (Japanese: 野村ミス; 19 August 1896 – 15 March 1979) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group…
Misu Nomura (Japanese: 野村ミス; 19 August 1896 – 15 March 1979) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Takeru Inukai (犬養 健, Inukai Takeru; 28 July 1896 – 28 August 1960) was a Japanese politician and novelist active in…
Takeru Inukai (犬養 健, Inukai Takeru; 28 July 1896 – 28 August 1960) was a Japanese politician and novelist active in Shōwa period Japan. Also known as "Inukai Ken", he was the third son of Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi.