Seigō Nakano (中野 正剛, Nakano Seigō; 12 February 1886 – 27 October 1943) was a journalist and politician in the Empire of…
Seigō Nakano (中野 正剛, Nakano Seigō; 12 February 1886 – 27 October 1943) was a journalist and politician in the Empire of Japan, known primarily for his involvement in far-right politics through his leadership of the Tōhōkai ("Far East Society") party, as well as his opposition to Hideki Tojo and eventual suicide under murky circumstances. Born in the city of Fukuoka, Nakano went on to attend Waseda University for four years, writing a number of articles for the journal Nihon oyobi Nihonjin (Japan and the Japanese) before graduating in July 1909. In these and in other speeches and articles he would produce, he expressed his political views. Nakano maintained an opposition to Japan's establishment throughout his life, criticizing in turn oligarchs such as Katsura Tarō, the Seiyūkai cabinet of Baron Tanaka Giichi, and eventually Hideki Tojo, the last of which ultimately cost him his life. Despite this opposition, however, Nakano would remain committed to working within political parties and the diet, rejecting the violent coups and putsches of young officers. Of great influence on his political thought was the Ōyōmei tradition. Embracing an intuitionist, autonomist view of the individual, Ōyōmei thought emphasized the following of what one identifies as "good" or "just", over wealth and obedience to corrupt authorities. In the case of Saigō Takamori, who Nakano held as a hero far greater than himself, Ōyōmei sanctified his rebellion against the Meiji Government as heroic. In his views of the Meiji Restoration, Nakano viewed the event as the result of popular discontent at the Shogunate's despotic rule. But though the leaders of the restoration had been united in a heroic effort against despotic government, a split occurred in which men valuing liberty such as Saigō were sidelined and instead, the Meiji oligarchy allowed Western ideas to flood into the country, eroding Japan's unique spirit and creating a system of oligarchic-bureaucratic rule which was opposed to popular will. During the 1st Constitutional Protection Movement, he relentlessly attacked the Katsura cabinet and the hanbatsu system of clique government as a writer at the Asahi Shimbun, earning him both a reputation as a liberal and the displeasure of the paper, leading him to launch the Tohojironsha paper in 1916. After election to the diet in 1920, Nakano would join a generation of younger, reformist politicians, eventually aligning with Inukai Tsuyoshi and the Kakushin Kurabu (Reform Club) in 1922, but later believed no serious change could be made outside of one of the two major parties and transfer to the Kenseikai in 1924. Following the Manchurian Incident, Nakano admired the plotters, contrasting their decisive action with the Tanaka cabinet's wavering between hardline policy and capitulation to the United States on China issues. To form a strong government to deal with the climate of crisis in the early 1930s, Nakano first attempted to organize a union of the Seiyukai and Minseito, then organizing the Kokumin Domei (Citizens’ Alliance) political party with Adachi Kenzo when he failed. Due to disagreements between the two personalities, however, Nakano split to form the Tōhōkai in 1936. Eventually, he would join the Taisei Yokusankai, but left in late 1940 in protest over the restraints imposed on it by conservative forces, primarily the zaibatsu and party politicians. He would go on to become a vicious opponent of Tōjō Hideki and his cabinet before committing ritual suicide while under government pressure in 1943.
Famous Japanese People: Politician・Legislator
Politician・Legislator: 2,229 people
Kakichi Kawarada (河原田 稼吉, Kawarada Kakichi; 13 January 1886 – 22 January 1955) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in…
Kakichi Kawarada (河原田 稼吉, Kawarada Kakichi; 13 January 1886 – 22 January 1955) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early Shōwa period Japan.
Lee In (Korean: 이인; Hanja: 李仁; September 20, 1896 – April 5, 1979) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served…
Lee In (Korean: 이인; Hanja: 李仁; September 20, 1896 – April 5, 1979) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the first minister of justice for South Korea from August 2, 1948, to June 5, 1949.
Aijiro Tomita (富田 愛次郎, Tomita Aijirō; 5 December 1885 – 3 November 1954) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Aijiro Tomita (富田 愛次郎, Tomita Aijirō; 5 December 1885 – 3 November 1954) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from January 1937 to November 1938. He was governor of Mie Prefecture from 1935 to 1937.
Suzuki Bunji (鈴木 文治; 4 September 1885 – 12 March 1946) was a Japanese politician and labor activist. He founded the…
Suzuki Bunji (鈴木 文治; 4 September 1885 – 12 March 1946) was a Japanese politician and labor activist. He founded the Yūaikai, an organization for laborers.
Shigeru Yoshida (吉田 茂, Yoshida Shigeru; 2 September 1885 – 9 December 1954) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician in…
Shigeru Yoshida (吉田 茂, Yoshida Shigeru; 2 September 1885 – 9 December 1954) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician in the Empire of Japan, serving as a member of the House of Peers, Chief Cabinet Secretary, governor of Fukuoka Prefecture and twice as a cabinet minister.
Teijirō Toyoda (豊田 貞次郎, Toyoda Teijirō; August 7, 1885 – November 21, 1961) was a career naval officer who served as…
Teijirō Toyoda (豊田 貞次郎, Toyoda Teijirō; August 7, 1885 – November 21, 1961) was a career naval officer who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1941 and as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Ho Hon (Korean: 허헌; 22 July 1885 – 16 August 1951) was a Korean independence activist and politician of the Japanese…
Ho Hon (Korean: 허헌; 22 July 1885 – 16 August 1951) was a Korean independence activist and politician of the Japanese colonial period and early years of North Korea. As a lawyer, he defended independence activists along with Lee In and Kim Byong-ro. In September 1948, following the official proclamation on the establishment of North Korea in the northern part of the Korean peninsula, he was elected a delegate to the first convocation of the Supreme People's Assembly, the unicameral parliament of North Korea. He also served as the President of Kim Il Sung University. While working as a reunification activist, he drowned in the Chongchon River in August 1951. He was also the father of Ho Jong-suk, a female activist and a politician in North Korea.
Reikichi Kita (北 昤吉, Kita Reikichi, 21 July 1885 – 5 August 1961) was a Japanese philosopher, educator, political…
Reikichi Kita (北 昤吉, Kita Reikichi, 21 July 1885 – 5 August 1961) was a Japanese philosopher, educator, political commentator, and politician. He served eight terms in the House of Representatives and was a founder of Tama Art University. He also served as Policy Research Council Chairman of the Japan Liberal Party. He was the younger brother of Ikki Kita, one of the main ideologues of the February 26 Incident.
Morita Fukui (July 14, 1885 – December 27, 1965) was the first Commissioner of Baseball in Japan. (Matsutarō Shōriki…
Morita Fukui (July 14, 1885 – December 27, 1965) was the first Commissioner of Baseball in Japan. (Matsutarō Shōriki, media mogul and owner of the Yomiuri Giants, was instrumental in the formation of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1949–1950, and acted unofficially as the league's first commissioner in 1950.) A lawyer, prosecutor, politician, Fukui was sworn in as Commissioner in 1951.
Matsutarō Shōriki (正力 松太郎, Shōriki Matsutarō; 11 April 1885 – 9 October 1969) was a Japanese media proprietor and…
Matsutarō Shōriki (正力 松太郎, Shōriki Matsutarō; 11 April 1885 – 9 October 1969) was a Japanese media proprietor and politician. He was the owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun, founder of the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Television Network Corporation. After a career as a police officer, Shoriki acquired the bankrupt Yomiuri Shimbun in 1924. Under his management it would become one of the major newspapers in Japan. Shoriki also popularised professional baseball in Japan during this time and founded the Yomiuri Giants. After the war Shoriki was arrested as a war criminal, but the charges were dropped in 1947. He founded Japan's first commercial television station, Nippon Television Network Corporation in 1952. Shoriki also became a prominent supporter of nuclear power in Japan. In 1955 he was elected to the House of Representatives. Shoriki became the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission under Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission under Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi. For his varied activities he received several appellations, such as the "father of Japanese professional baseball," the "father of Japanese private broadcasting" and the “father of Japanese nuclear power”.
Tatsunosuke Takasaki (高碕達之助, Takasaki Tatsunosuke; 7 February 1885 – 24 February 1964) was a Japanese…
Tatsunosuke Takasaki (高碕達之助, Takasaki Tatsunosuke; 7 February 1885 – 24 February 1964) was a Japanese businessman-politician.
Haru Wazaki (Japanese: 和崎ハル; 1 February 1885 – 30 December 1952) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first…
Haru Wazaki (Japanese: 和崎ハル; 1 February 1885 – 30 December 1952) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Yin Ju-keng; (Chinese: 殷汝耕; pinyin: Yīn Rǔgēng; Wade–Giles: Yin Ju-keng; Hepburn: In Jyokou; 1885 - December 1, 1947)…
Yin Ju-keng; (Chinese: 殷汝耕; pinyin: Yīn Rǔgēng; Wade–Giles: Yin Ju-keng; Hepburn: In Jyokou; 1885 - December 1, 1947) was a politician in the early Republic of China, later noted for his role as chairman in the Japanese-controlled East Hebei Autonomous Government and subsequent puppet regimes, such as the Wang Jingwei regime, during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Hideki Tojo (30 December 1884 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as Prime…
Hideki Tojo (30 December 1884 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944 during World War II. His leadership was marked by widespread state violence and mass killings perpetrated in the name of Japanese nationalism. Born into a military family of samurai descent in Kōjimachi, Tokyo, Tojo followed in his father's footsteps by pursuing a military career, graduating from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1905. After serving as a military attaché in Germany, he rose to prominence in the 1930s as a member of the Tōseiha (lit. 'Control Faction') within the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). In 1937, as chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, he led operations during the Japanese invasion of China. By 1940, he was appointed Minister of the Army, where he advocated a tripartite alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. In October 1941, he was appointed Prime Minister of Japan by Emperor Hirohito. Upon taking office as Prime Minister, Tojo prioritized the total mobilization of the Empire of Japan for "total war". He enforced strict censorship and utilized the Kempeitai (military police) to suppress dissent while promoting an ideology of absolute loyalty to the Emperor. His foreign policy was defined by the pursuit of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, a concept used to justify aggressive expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific in order to secure natural resources. On 7 December 1941, Tojo's cabinet oversaw the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which resulted in his country's entry into World War II on the side of the Axis powers. Despite achieving significant territorial gains in Asia and the Pacific during the opening months of the conflict, the tide decisively turned against Japan following its defeat at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. In the capacity of his nation's head of government throughout most of the war, Tojo presided over numerous war crimes, including the massacre and starvation of thousands of POWs and millions of civilians. As Allied forces closed in on the Japanese home islands, Tojo's hold on power steadily declined before he was ultimately forced to resign on 18 July 1944 upon the fall of Saipan. After his nation's surrender to the Allied powers in September 1945, he was arrested, convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in the Tokyo Trials, sentenced to death, and hanged on 23 December 1948. To this day, Tojo's complicity in the July 1937 invasion of China, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and numerous acts of mass murder have firmly intertwined his legacy with the Empire of Japan's warmongering brutality during the early Shōwa era.
Yoriyasu Arima (有馬 頼寧, Arima Yoriyasu; 17 December 1884 – 9 January 1957) was a Japanese politician before and during…
Yoriyasu Arima (有馬 頼寧, Arima Yoriyasu; 17 December 1884 – 9 January 1957) was a Japanese politician before and during World War II. His wife was the daughter of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa.
Isei Otsuka (大塚 惟精, Ōtsuka Isei, 11 December 1884 – 6 August 1945) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of…
Isei Otsuka (大塚 惟精, Ōtsuka Isei, 11 December 1884 – 6 August 1945) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from April to June 1945. He was also governor of Tochigi Prefecture (1924–1926), Fukuoka Prefecture (1926–1927) and Ishikawa Prefecture (1927). He was killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Nobuteru Mori (21 October 1884 – 1 March 1941) was a Japanese businessman and politician who founded Showa Denko, a…
Nobuteru Mori (21 October 1884 – 1 March 1941) was a Japanese businessman and politician who founded Showa Denko, a leading Japanese chemical engineering firm, in the 1930s. He was also a member of the Japanese House of Representatives. Mori was the father of Mutsuko Miki, an activist and former First Lady, and the father-in-law of former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki.
Tanzan Ishibashi (石橋 湛山, Ishibashi Tanzan; 25 September 1884 – 25 April 1973) was a Japanese journalist and politician…
Tanzan Ishibashi (石橋 湛山, Ishibashi Tanzan; 25 September 1884 – 25 April 1973) was a Japanese journalist and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1956 to 1957. Born in Tokyo, Ishibashi became a journalist after graduating from Waseda University in 1907. In 1911, he joined the Tōyō Keizai Shimpo ("Eastern Economic Journal") and served as its editor-in-chief from 1925 to 1946 and president from 1941. In the 1930s, Ishibashi was one of the few critics of Japanese imperialism, and became well known as a liberal economist. From 1946 to 1947, Ishibashi served as finance minister under Shigeru Yoshida. He was elected into the National Diet in 1947, but was purged for openly opposing the U.S. occupation policies; he returned to the Diet in 1952, after which he allied with Ichiro Hatoyama and served as his minister of international trade and industry. Ishibashi succeeded Hatoyama as prime minister in 1956, simultaneously serving as director of the Defense Agency, but resigned soon after due to ill health.
Hachirō Arita (有田 八郎, Arita Hachirō; 21 September 1884 – 4 March 1965) was a Japanese politician and diplomat who…
Hachirō Arita (有田 八郎, Arita Hachirō; 21 September 1884 – 4 March 1965) was a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs for three terms. He coined the term Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, which provided an official agenda for Imperial Japan's expansionism. After the war, Arita was active as a leftist politician. The circumstances surrounding his second marriage and his unsuccessful 1959 run for Governor of Tokyo served as the model for the novel After the Banquet by Yukio Mishima. This led to a famous court case in which Arita successfully sued for invasion of privacy.
Chikahiko Koizumi (小泉 親彦, Koizumi Chikahiko; 9 September 1884 – 13 September 1945) was a Japanese military physician…
Chikahiko Koizumi (小泉 親彦, Koizumi Chikahiko; 9 September 1884 – 13 September 1945) was a Japanese military physician who served as Minister of Health and Welfare from 1941 to 1944.
Zenjirō Horikiri (堀切善次郎, Horikiri Zenjirō; 2 September 1884 – 1 November 1979) was a Japanese official who served as…
Zenjirō Horikiri (堀切善次郎, Horikiri Zenjirō; 2 September 1884 – 1 November 1979) was a Japanese official who served as Minister for Home Affairs under Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara from 1945 to 1946. His brother, Zenbei Horikiri was also a politician and prominent member of the Rikken Seiyūkai political party.
Bukichi Miki (三木 武吉, Miki Bukichi; 15 August 1884 – 4 July 1956) was a Japanese politician. He was a close friend and…
Bukichi Miki (三木 武吉, Miki Bukichi; 15 August 1884 – 4 July 1956) was a Japanese politician. He was a close friend and ally of Ichiro Hatoyama, and was the key figure in carrying out the "conservative merger" that resulted in the formation of the Liberal Democratic Party. Despite being a powerful conservative politician in the Taishō and Shōwa eras, Miki remarkably never held any cabinet post. He still has a high reputation as the archetype of a behind-the-scenes power broker, and at the zenith of their power there were times when both Kanemaru Shin and Hiromu Nonaka were openly complimented by Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone for having "surpassed Bukichi Miki." Miki's nicknames included "the heckling general," "the wily schemer," and "the great tanuki of Japanese politics."
Ichirō Kiyose (清瀬 一郎, Kiyose Ichirō; July 5, 1884 – June 27, 1967) was a Japanese lawyer and politician who rose to…
Ichirō Kiyose (清瀬 一郎, Kiyose Ichirō; July 5, 1884 – June 27, 1967) was a Japanese lawyer and politician who rose to serve as Minister of Education and later Speaker of the House of Representatives in the National Diet. As a lawyer, he rose to fame in Japan as one of the defense attorneys for the perpetrators of the May 15 Incident in 1932, and then later became famous internationally when he defended former prime minister Hideki Tōjō during the Tokyo War Crimes Trials after World War II. In 1960, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, he presided over the ramming through the Diet of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty that cemented in place the U.S.-Japan alliance and allows the United States to maintain military bases on Japanese soil.
Shinji Sogō (十河 信二, Sogō Shinji; 14 April 1884 – 3 October 1981) was the fourth president of the Japanese National…
Shinji Sogō (十河 信二, Sogō Shinji; 14 April 1884 – 3 October 1981) was the fourth president of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), and is credited with the creation of the first "bullet train", the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. Born in Niihama, Ehime, Shikoku, in 1884, Shinji Sogo graduated from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo Imperial University in 1909, and joined the Railway Agency. While working for the Teito Reconstruction Agency after the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, he was strongly influenced by Shinpei Gotō, the Agency president. After leaving the government railways in 1926, he became a director of the South Manchuria Railway. While at the South Manchuria Railway, he became closely connected with Kwantung Army officer Ishiwara Kanji, the key force behind the Manchurian Incident. Sogō acted as part of Ishiwara's "brain-trust" when Ishiwara was at the height of his power in 1936–1937. Sogō was part of Ishiwara's efforts to deny General Kazushige Ugaki the position of Prime Minister in January 1937, and install General Senjūrō Hayashi as Prime Minister. He helped Hayashi form his cabinet. Later that year his patron Ishiwara was forced out of power, and Sogō also lost his influence. After World War II, he served as Chairman of the Railway Welfare Association until he was appointed JNR president in 1955.
Prince Iemasa Tokugawa (徳川 家正, Tokugawa Iemasa; 23 March 1884 – 18 February 1963) also known as Iyemasa, was a Japanese…
Prince Iemasa Tokugawa (徳川 家正, Tokugawa Iemasa; 23 March 1884 – 18 February 1963) also known as Iyemasa, was a Japanese political figure of the Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was the 17th hereditary head of the former shogunal branch of the Tokugawa clan and the final President of the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan.
Fumio Gotō (後藤 文夫, Gotō Fumio; 7 March 1884 – 13 May 1980) was a Japanese politician and bureaucrat, and briefly served…
Fumio Gotō (後藤 文夫, Gotō Fumio; 7 March 1884 – 13 May 1980) was a Japanese politician and bureaucrat, and briefly served as interim Prime Minister of Japan in 1936.
Hideo Hatoyama (2 February 1884 – 29 January 1946) was a Japanese jurist whose writings about civil law were…
Hideo Hatoyama (2 February 1884 – 29 January 1946) was a Japanese jurist whose writings about civil law were influential in pre-World War II Japan. Hatoyama was part of the prominent Hatoyama family. His father Kazuo Hatoyama was speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan during the Meiji era, and his brother Ichirō Hatoyama was an influential politician and minister in the 1930s and 40s. Through him, Hideo Hatoyama was able to exert great influence on Japanese jurisprudence. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1908 and subsequent graduate studies in France and Germany, he taught law at his alma mater from 1916 to 1926, after which he worked as a lawyer and left his professorship to his student Sakae Wagatsuma. Hatoyama wrote influential treatises and textbooks on legal transactions (1910) and the law of obligations (1916), but his ideas fell out of fashion after Izotaro Suehiro's attacks on German-style jurisprudence of concepts. Fluent in English, Hatoyama was a member of the Anglican Church in Japan and for many years served as the elected warden of St. Barnabas' Church in Ushigome.
Shichirō Kihara (木原 七郎, Kihara Shichirō; 25 January 1884 – 24 December 1951) was a Japanese politician who served as…
Shichirō Kihara (木原 七郎, Kihara Shichirō; 25 January 1884 – 24 December 1951) was a Japanese politician who served as the Mayor of Hiroshima from 22 October 1945 to 22 March 1947 and was elected as member of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly in 1911.
Tadaatsu Ishiguro (石黒 忠篤, Ishiguro Tadaatsu; 9 January 1884 – 10 March 1960) was a bureaucrat, politician, and cabinet…
Tadaatsu Ishiguro (石黒 忠篤, Ishiguro Tadaatsu; 9 January 1884 – 10 March 1960) was a bureaucrat, politician, and cabinet minister in the government of the pre-war Empire of Japan, as well as in post-war Japan.
Sukenari Yokoyama (1 January 1884 – 27 March 1963) was a Japanese politician who served twice as governor of Hiroshima…
Sukenari Yokoyama (1 January 1884 – 27 March 1963) was a Japanese politician who served twice as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1927–1928 and 1943–1944.
Chikuhei Nakajima (中島 知久平, Nakajima Chikuhei; January 1, 1884 – October 29, 1949), was a Japanese businessman, naval…
Chikuhei Nakajima (中島 知久平, Nakajima Chikuhei; January 1, 1884 – October 29, 1949), was a Japanese businessman, naval engineer, naval officer, and politician who was most notable for having founded Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the Empire of Japan. He also served as a cabinet minister.
Fang Zong'ao (Chinese: 方宗鳌; Wade–Giles: Fang Tsung-ao; 1884 – 19 February 1950) was a late Qing dynasty scholar; a…
Fang Zong'ao (Chinese: 方宗鳌; Wade–Giles: Fang Tsung-ao; 1884 – 19 February 1950) was a late Qing dynasty scholar; a well-known economist and jurist in the early Republic of China era, and a professor in economics and law. Fang was born in Puning, Guangdong Province, China, in 1884. In 1903, Fang went to Toa Dobunshoin (東亜同文書院大学) for study. In 1905, Fang returned to his home town Puning after he graduated from the college and established a teachers' college in Puning. In 1908, Fang was granted a scholarship from Qing dynasty government and went to Japan again for his studies. After graduating from Yamaguchi Business School in Yamaguchi Prefecture Fang was admitted to Meiji University. Fang graduated from Meiji University in 1914 and married a Japanese noble's descendant, Koga Yasuhisa's (古賀靖久) daughter Koga Masako (古賀政子), a student at Tsuda College. Fang returned to China after the wedding. About a year after his return, Fang left his hometown Puning for Beijing to pursue his career. During the time he stayed in Japan, Fang was appointed as a Political Affairs Director of the Tokyo Branch of the Progressive Party of the Republic of China. Shortly after settling in Beijing, Fang was introduced by the Chinese High Commissioner to Tokyo (Wang Da-xie (汪大夑), who later became the Foreign Affairs Minister) to work at the Reserve Bank of China as a principal auditor. Fang spent his spare time teaching economics courses at several universities as a part-time professor. Soon, he became a full-time professor at Zhongguo University (University of China) (中國大學), Peking University and Chaoyang University (朝陽大學). He served as the provost and dean of business studies of the University of China until 1937. In 1937, the Republic of China Provisional Government was established in Beijing. Fang was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education and Secretary General of the Legislation Council of the Provisional Government. When Minister Tang Er-he (汤尔和) was in the hospital in 1939, Fang served as the Acting Minister until Tang's death in 1940. Later, in 1940, when the Republic of China Nanjing National Government was established in Nanjing, Fang was appointed as the Vice Minister of Education of the North China Political Affairs Commission. During that period, Fang re-established the universities in Northern China to provide opportunities for students to continue their studies in Japanese-occupied regions. Fang also established the Law School of Peking University, and he was appointed as the first Head of the school. Fang was also selected as a board member of the China Federal Reserve Bank. Fang died on 19 February 1950 in Beijing at the age of 66.
Cai Pei (Chinese: 蔡培; pinyin: Cài Péi; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai P'ei; Hepburn: Sai Bai; 1884–1960) was a diplomat and…
Cai Pei (Chinese: 蔡培; pinyin: Cài Péi; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai P'ei; Hepburn: Sai Bai; 1884–1960) was a diplomat and politician in the pre-World War II Republic of China. He held a number of important posts during the collaborationist Reorganized National Government of China, and successively held the positions of Mayor of Nanjing Special City and Ambassador to Japan. His courtesy name was Ziping (子平).
Yoshishige Abe (安倍 能成, Abe Yoshishige; 23 December 1883 – 7 June 1966) was a philosopher, educator, and statesman in…
Yoshishige Abe (安倍 能成, Abe Yoshishige; 23 December 1883 – 7 June 1966) was a philosopher, educator, and statesman in Shōwa period Japan. As Minister of Education in the immediate post-war era, he oversaw major reforms to the Japanese educational system.
Shigetarō Shimada (嶋田 繁太郎, Shimada Shigetarō; 24 September 1883 – 7 June 1976) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese…
Shigetarō Shimada (嶋田 繁太郎, Shimada Shigetarō; 24 September 1883 – 7 June 1976) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He also served as Minister of the Navy. He was convicted of waging aggressive war and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Hiroshi Kawabuchi (15 August 1883 – 1 October 1946) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima…
Hiroshi Kawabuchi (15 August 1883 – 1 October 1946) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from July 1929 to May 1931. He was governor of Fukushima Prefecture (1925–1927) and Fukuoka Prefecture (1931). He was mayor of Kōchi, Kōchi from 1936 to 1941.
Prince Nijō Atsumoto (二条 厚基; 14 June 1883 – 11 September 1927), son of Nijō Motohiro, was a Japanese politician who…
Prince Nijō Atsumoto (二条 厚基; 14 June 1883 – 11 September 1927), son of Nijō Motohiro, was a Japanese politician who served as a member of House of Peers in the Meiji period (1868–1912). He adopted Nijō Masamaro's son Tamemoto.
Cho Man-sik (Korean: 조만식; 1 February 1883 – ?), also known by his art name Godang (고당), was a Korean independence…
Cho Man-sik (Korean: 조만식; 1 February 1883 – ?), also known by his art name Godang (고당), was a Korean independence activist. He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following the Japanese surrender after World War II. Originally, Cho was supported by the Soviet Union for the eventual rule of North Korea. However, due to his opposition to the USA proposed trusteeship, Cho lost Soviet support and was forced from power by the Soviet-backed and pro Soviet communists in the north (a predecessor of the Workers' Party of Korea). Placed under house arrest in January 1946, he later disappeared into the North Korean prison system, where confirmed reports of him end. He is generally believed to have been executed soon after the start of the Korean War, possibly in October 1950.
Kenzō Matsumura (松村 謙三, Matsumura Kenzō; 24 January 1883 – 21 August 1971) was a Japanese politician in the prewar and…
Kenzō Matsumura (松村 謙三, Matsumura Kenzō; 24 January 1883 – 21 August 1971) was a Japanese politician in the prewar and postwar periods, serving stints in the cabinet as Minister of Health and Welfare, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and Minister of Education. Matsumura is remembered for his mastery of arcane details of Japanese agricultural policy, as well as for, in his later years, his tireless efforts to normalize Japanese diplomatic and trade relations with China, which he viewed as essential for Japan to chart a course on the international stage more independent from the United States.
Ichirō Hatoyama (鳩山 一郎, Hatoyama Ichirō; 1 January 1883 – 7 March 1959) was a Japanese politician who served as prime…
Ichirō Hatoyama (鳩山 一郎, Hatoyama Ichirō; 1 January 1883 – 7 March 1959) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1954 to 1956. During his tenure he oversaw the formation of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and restored official relations with the Soviet Union. Hatoyama was born in Tokyo as the eldest son of politician Kazuo Hatoyama. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University, he practiced law before entering political life, and was first elected to the Diet in 1915 as a member of the Rikken Seiyūkai. He served as chief cabinet secretary under Giichi Tanaka from 1927 to 1929, and minister of education under Tsuyoshi Inukai and Makoto Saitō from 1931 to 1934. He was one of the leading members of the Seiyukai prior to its dissolution in 1940, and during the Pacific War opposed the cabinet of Hideki Tōjō. In 1945, Hatoyama founded the Liberal Party, which became the largest party in the first post-war election, but he was purged by the American occupation authorities before taking office, and handed the post to Shigeru Yoshida. Hatoyama was de-purged in 1951, but his conflict with Yoshida over the leadership split the Liberal Party in two. Hatoyama then founded the Democratic Party in 1954. In 1954, Hatoyama ousted Yoshida and finally succeeded him as prime minister. In 1955, his Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, formerly led by Yoshida, merged to form the Liberal Democratic Party, which has dominated Japanese politics ever since. During his tenure, Hatoyama attempted to push through an electoral reform to ensure a two-party system in order to revise the constitution's pacifist Article 9, but failed in both efforts. In 1956, he restored diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, ending the formal state of war which had existed since 1945, and secured Japan's entry into the United Nations before he resigned. Hatoyama is the grandfather of Yukio Hatoyama, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2010.
Katsuzō Toyota (Japanese: 豊田勝蔵; 27 December 1882 – 23 November 1939) was Director of the Karafuto Agency (5 August 1926…
Katsuzō Toyota (Japanese: 豊田勝蔵; 27 December 1882 – 23 November 1939) was Director of the Karafuto Agency (5 August 1926 – 27 July 1927). He was also mayor of Hagi, Yamaguchi and Governor of Fukui Prefecture (1924–1926). He was a graduate of Tokyo Imperial University. He was a member of the Government-General of Taiwan.
Shigenori Tōgō (東郷 茂徳, Tōgō Shigenori; 10 December 1882 – 23 July 1950) was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire…
Shigenori Tōgō (東郷 茂徳, Tōgō Shigenori; 10 December 1882 – 23 July 1950) was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Pacific War. He also served as Minister of Colonial Affairs in 1941, and assumed the same position, renamed the Minister for Greater East Asia, in 1945.
Chū Kudō (工藤忠, Kudō Chū; December 10, 1882 – December 18, 1965), real name Tetsusaburō Kudō (工藤鉄三郎, Kudō Tetsusaburō)…
Chū Kudō (工藤忠, Kudō Chū; December 10, 1882 – December 18, 1965), real name Tetsusaburō Kudō (工藤鉄三郎, Kudō Tetsusaburō), was a Japanese continental rōnin and Lieutenant General in the Manchukuo Imperial Army. He served as aide-de-camp and chief of the bodyguard of Emperor Puyi.
Naotake Satō (佐藤 尚武, Satō Naotake; 30 October 1882 – 18 December 1971) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who…
Naotake Satō (佐藤 尚武, Satō Naotake; 30 October 1882 – 18 December 1971) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as President of the House of Councillors from 1949 to 1953. He was a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Belgium and France in the 1930s. He briefly served as foreign minister under Prime Minister Senjuro Hayashi in 1937. He then served as ambassador to Italy and later to the Soviet Union, holding the latter position during most of the Second World War. After the war he was elected to the House of Councillors and served as its president.
Ken Terajima (寺島健, Terajima Ken; 23 September 1882 – 30 October 1972) was a Japanese Vice Admiral and politician. He…
Ken Terajima (寺島健, Terajima Ken; 23 September 1882 – 30 October 1972) was a Japanese Vice Admiral and politician. He served as the Minister of Communications from 18 October 1941 to 8 October 1943, and Minister of Railways from 18 October 1941 to 2 December 1941, in the Tōjō Cabinet.
Zembei Horikiri (堀切 善兵衛; 4 May 1882 – 25 November 1946) was a Japanese politician and economist who served as Speaker…
Zembei Horikiri (堀切 善兵衛; 4 May 1882 – 25 November 1946) was a Japanese politician and economist who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1929 to 1930 and Ambassador to Italy from 1940 to 1942. He belonged to the Rikken Seiyukai party, and held several ranks in the Japanese imperial court. While ambassador, he worked to foster cooperation among the Tripartite Pact powers alongside Hiroshi Oshima, Japan's Ambassador to Germany. His brother, Zenjirō Horikiri, served as Minister for Home Affairs under Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara. In 1946, Horikiri died at home in Iizaka aged 64.
Keita Gotō (五島 慶太, Gotō Keita; 18 April 1882 – 14 August 1959) was a Japanese businessman, politician and educator, who…
Keita Gotō (五島 慶太, Gotō Keita; 18 April 1882 – 14 August 1959) was a Japanese businessman, politician and educator, who built the Tokyu Group into one of the leading corporate groups in Japan. He briefly served as Minister of Transportation and Communications in 1944. Prior to his business career, he worked as a government official in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Transport. He founded the Tōyoko Commercial Girls' School and the Gotō Ikueikai. He is also the founder of Toei.
Yonezō Maeda (前田 米蔵, Maeda Yonezō; 17 February 1882 – 18 March 1954) was a politician and cabinet minister in the…
Yonezō Maeda (前田 米蔵, Maeda Yonezō; 17 February 1882 – 18 March 1954) was a politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war Empire of Japan.
Takashi Suzuki (鈴木 隆, Suzuki Takashi; 1882 - 1978) was a Japanese speculator-turned politician.