Yamaguchi Prefecture: 296 people
Yoshimasa Hirata (平田 義正, Hirata Yoshimasa; 1915 – 5 March 2000) was a Japanese organic chemist.
Mieko Nagaoka (長岡三重子, Nagaoka Mieko; 31 July 1914 – 19 January 2021) was a Japanese Masters athlete. She was the first…
Mieko Nagaoka (長岡三重子, Nagaoka Mieko; 31 July 1914 – 19 January 2021) was a Japanese Masters athlete. She was the first 100-year-old to complete a 1,500m freestyle swim in a 25m pool. At the age of 106, she was Japan's oldest active swimmer.
Naoto Tajima (田島 直人, Tajima Naoto; August 15, 1912 – December 4, 1990) was a Japanese athlete who competed at the 1932…
Naoto Tajima (田島 直人, Tajima Naoto; August 15, 1912 – December 4, 1990) was a Japanese athlete who competed at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics. In 1932 he finished sixth in the long jump, while in 1936 he finished third in the long jump, behind Jesse Owens and Luz Long, and won the triple jump event, setting a world record at 16.00 m. This record stood until 1951, when Adhemar da Silva improved it by one centimeter. Raised in Iwakuni, Tajima graduated in economics from Kyoto Imperial University just prior to competing in the Olympics. His gold medal was Japan's last Olympic track and field gold medal until Naoko Takahashi won the women's marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Tajima retired from competitive athletics in 1938 but maintained an administrative role as managing director of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations. He was also a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee, coached the Japanese athletics teams at the 1956 and 1964 Olympics, and worked as a lecturer at Chukyo University.
Yojiro Kimura (木村 陽二郎, Kimura Yōjirō; 1912–2006) was a Japanese botanist, known for his classification of…
Yojiro Kimura (木村 陽二郎, Kimura Yōjirō; 1912–2006) was a Japanese botanist, known for his classification of monocotyledons, and of Japanese species of Hypericum.
Ryūtarō Ōtomo (大友柳太朗, Ōtomo Ryūtarō) (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most…
Ryūtarō Ōtomo (大友柳太朗, Ōtomo Ryūtarō) (5 June 1912 – 27 September 1985) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. In 1936, he made his debut in movies with the film Aozura Roshi. Overall Ryūtarō Ōtomo appeared in more than 100 movies. He ended his life by leaping from the top of a building in 1985. His final appearance in the film was Tampopo directed by Juzo Itami in 1985.
Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒, Hayashi Isao; May 11, 1912 – September 29, 1995) was a Japanese popular music and military music…
Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒, Hayashi Isao; May 11, 1912 – September 29, 1995) was a Japanese popular music and military music singer and composer. He took part in the Japan's famous year-end show Kōhaku Uta Gassen eleven times. One of the well-known songs composed by him is the military song "Shussei Heishi o Okuru Uta" (出征兵士を送る歌; "Song for Giving Warriors a Send-off").
Hisakichi Toyoda (豊田 久吉, Toyoda Hisakichi) (January 2, 1912 – October 7, 1976) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at…
Hisakichi Toyoda (豊田 久吉, Toyoda Hisakichi) (January 2, 1912 – October 7, 1976) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics. There he won the gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay event. He was born in Yamaguchi, Japan, and is the grandfather of three-time Olympian Kenji Watanabe.
Yasuo Kazuki (Japanese: 香月泰男, October 25, 1911 – 8 March 1974) was a Japanese artist known for his paintings depicting…
Yasuo Kazuki (Japanese: 香月泰男, October 25, 1911 – 8 March 1974) was a Japanese artist known for his paintings depicting life as a prisoner of war in Siberia. This set of paintings, known as the Siberian Series, was derived from his experiences in concentration camps after being taken as a prisoner of war in 1945 following World War II. After returning to Japan, he continued to paint until his death at age 62.
Shigeaki Hinohara (日野原 重明, Hinohara Shigeaki; 4 October 1911 – 18 July 2017) was a Japanese physician. In 1941, he…
Shigeaki Hinohara (日野原 重明, Hinohara Shigeaki; 4 October 1911 – 18 July 2017) was a Japanese physician. In 1941, he began his long working association with St. Luke's International Hospital in central Tokyo and worked as a medical doctor throughout the wartime firebombing of the city. From 1990 he served as the hospital's honorary director. He was also Sophia University's Grief Care Institute director emeritus. He was honorary chairman of the Foundation Sasakawa Memorial Health Cooperation. Hinohara is credited with establishing and popularizing Japan's practice of annual medical checkups.
Tanaka Tatsuo (Japanese: 田中 龍夫, Tanaka Tatsuo; 20 September 1910 – 30 March 1998) was a Japanese politician and baron…
Tanaka Tatsuo (Japanese: 田中 龍夫, Tanaka Tatsuo; 20 September 1910 – 30 March 1998) was a Japanese politician and baron who served as Minister of Education from 1980 to 1981 and Minister of International Trade and Industry from 1976 to 1977. He was the eldest son of Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi.
Sanezumi Fujimoto (藤本 真澄, Fujimoto Sanezumi; July 15, 1910 – May 2, 1979) was a Japanese film producer. He served as…
Sanezumi Fujimoto (藤本 真澄, Fujimoto Sanezumi; July 15, 1910 – May 2, 1979) was a Japanese film producer. He served as the head of production for Toho Studios. He was co-producer of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. He also produced many other films, including Yasujirō Ozu's The End of Summer, Kihachi Okamoto's The Sword of Doom and Japan's Longest Day and several films directed by Mikio Naruse. After co-producing The Hidden Fortress, Fujimoto had the task as Toho's head of production of convincing Kurosawa to form his own production company. He had to convince Kurosawa that his own production company would be to his advantage, even though the main reason Toho wanted Kurosawa to form his own production company was to avoid the risk of cost overruns as had happened on The Hidden Fortress. Fujimoto then became a board member of Kurosawa Productions.
Sei Yoshida (Japanese: 吉田セイ; 24 December 1909 – 26 July 1976) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group…
Sei Yoshida (Japanese: 吉田セイ; 24 December 1909 – 26 July 1976) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Izuo Anno (Japanese: 阿武巌夫) (December 2, 1909 – December 18, 1939) was a Japanese Olympic athlete who participated in…
Izuo Anno (Japanese: 阿武巌夫) (December 2, 1909 – December 18, 1939) was a Japanese Olympic athlete who participated in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He competed in the 100m and 200m sprints. He was 169 cm tall and weighed 63 kg. He was a graduate of Keio University. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, while undergoing his military service, he was killed in action in Nanning, Guangxi, Republic of China.
Michio Mado (まど・みちお, Mado Michio; 16 November 1909 – 28 February 2014) was a Japanese poet. He received the…
Michio Mado (まど・みちお, Mado Michio; 16 November 1909 – 28 February 2014) was a Japanese poet. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1994 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature".
Kenji Miyamoto (宮本 顕治, Miyamoto Kenji; 17 October 1908 – 18 July 2007) was a Japanese communist politician. He was the…
Kenji Miyamoto (宮本 顕治, Miyamoto Kenji; 17 October 1908 – 18 July 2007) was a Japanese communist politician. He was the leader of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) from 1958 to 1977.
Chūya Nakahara (中原 中也, Nakahara Chūya; 29 April 1907 – 22 October 1937), born Chūya Kashimura (柏村 中也, Kashimura Chūya)…
Chūya Nakahara (中原 中也, Nakahara Chūya; 29 April 1907 – 22 October 1937), born Chūya Kashimura (柏村 中也, Kashimura Chūya), was a Japanese poet active during the early Shōwa period. Originally shaped by Dada and other forms of European (mainly French) experimental poetry, he was one of the leading renovators of Japanese poetry. Although he died at the young age of 30, he wrote more than 350 poems throughout his life. Many called him the "Japanese Rimbaud" for his affinities with the French poet whose poems he translated in 1934.
Egami Namio (1906–2002) was a Japanese archaeologist, academic, university professor, historian and writer.
Asaichi Isobe (磯部 浅一, Isobe Asaichi; 1 April 1905 – 19 August 1937) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was one…
Asaichi Isobe (磯部 浅一, Isobe Asaichi; 1 April 1905 – 19 August 1937) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was one of the leaders of the 26 February Incident, a coup d'etat attempt by young officers of the Imperial Way Faction.
Shigeo Kamiyama (神山 茂夫, Kamiyama Shigeo) (1 February 1905 – 8 July 1974) was a Japanese communist. He was born in 1905…
Shigeo Kamiyama (神山 茂夫, Kamiyama Shigeo) (1 February 1905 – 8 July 1974) was a Japanese communist. He was born in 1905 in Shimonoseki. In 1928, he joined the Japanese Communist Party. On 1 May 1941, he was arrested as the leader of the Communist Party Rebuilding Committee. He was imprisoned in Sugamo prison where he met Hotsumi Ozaki. Kamiyama remained in jail until 1945. After the war, he was active in the Japanese Communist Party.
Misuzu Kaneko (金子 みすゞ, Kaneko Misuzu; April 11, 1903 – March 10, 1930) was a Japanese poet, known for her poetry for…
Misuzu Kaneko (金子 みすゞ, Kaneko Misuzu; April 11, 1903 – March 10, 1930) was a Japanese poet, known for her poetry for children. She was born Teru Kaneko (金子 テル, Kaneko Teru) in the fishing village of Senzaki, now part of Nagato, Yamaguchi prefecture. Motifs of fishing and the sea often make appearances in her poems. Celebrated during her lifetime, her works fell into obscurity after her death, until being rediscovered in the 1980s. Since then, she has been regarded as one of Japan's most beloved children's poets. Kaneko has been compared to Christina Rossetti. Her poems have been translated into eleven languages.
Kōgen Mizuno (水野 弘元, Mizuno Kōgen; November 19, 1901 – January 1, 2006) was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Soto sect…
Kōgen Mizuno (水野 弘元, Mizuno Kōgen; November 19, 1901 – January 1, 2006) was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Soto sect and scholar of Early Buddhism. He served as president of Komazawa University where he attained the status of professor emeritus. He held a Doctorate of Letters degree from the (University of Tokyo) and had an honorary Doctorate of Literature degree from Nalanda University.
Harue Yamashita (Japanese: 山下春江; 9 August 1901 – 19 March 1985) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first…
Harue Yamashita (Japanese: 山下春江; 9 August 1901 – 19 March 1985) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Eisaku Satō (佐藤 栄作, Satō Eisaku; 27 March 1901 – 3 June 1975) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of…
Eisaku Satō (佐藤 栄作, Satō Eisaku; 27 March 1901 – 3 June 1975) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1964 to 1972. He was the third longest-serving and longest-uninterrupted–serving Japanese prime minister. Satō is best remembered for securing the return of Okinawa in 1972, and for winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974, which stirred controversy. He was a former elite bureaucrat like his elder brother Nobusuke Kishi and a member of the Yoshida school like Hayato Ikeda. Like his predecessor, he also supported Keynesian economic policies. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Satō was a member of the Satō–Kishi–Abe family and the younger brother of prime minister Nobusuke Kishi. Satō graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1924 and joined the Ministry of Railways. After the war, he entered the National Diet in 1949 as a member of the Liberal Party, and served in a series of cabinet positions under Shigeru Yoshida, including posts and telecommunications minister from 1951 to 1952, construction minister from 1952 to 1953, and chief cabinet secretary from 1953 to 1954. Satō later joined the Liberal Democratic Party and became finance minister from 1958 to 1960 under Nobusuke Kishi and international trade and industry minister from 1961 to 1962 under Hayato Ikeda. In 1964, Satō succeeded Ikeda as LDP president and prime minister. He had the support of Japanese business and finance, and presided over a period of rapid economic growth. In foreign policy, he oversaw the normalization of diplomatic relations with South Korea and maintained close relations with the United States, allowing the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty to renew in 1970 and arranging for the return of Okinawa to Japan in 1972. In 1967, Satō introduced the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles" (the non-production, non-possession, and non-introduction of nuclear weapons), and in 1968 signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. However, it was later revealed that Satō had made secret agreements with the U.S. to allow violations of the principles. Facing mounting economic problems and falling approval ratings in the early 1970s, Satō resigned in 1972 and was succeeded as prime minister by Kakuei Tanaka, quickly losing his political influence when his protégé Takeo Fukuda did not succeed him.
Yoshio Shiga (志賀 義雄, Shiga Yoshio; 12 January 1901 – 6 March 1989) was a member of the Japanese Communist Party.
Kitamura Sayo (北村 サヨ; January 1, 1900 – December 28, 1967) was the Japanese founder of the "dancing religion", Tenshō…
Kitamura Sayo (北村 サヨ; January 1, 1900 – December 28, 1967) was the Japanese founder of the "dancing religion", Tenshō Kōtai Jingūkyō (天照皇大神宮教). In the religion, she is known by her followers as Ogamisama (大神様, Ōgamisama). She was known for her pacifism and anti-militarism during the wake of Japan's World War II surrender.
Daisuke Nanba (難波 大助, Nanba Daisuke, November 7, 1899 – November 15, 1924) was a Japanese student and member of the…
Daisuke Nanba (難波 大助, Nanba Daisuke, November 7, 1899 – November 15, 1924) was a Japanese student and member of the Japanese Communist Party who tried to assassinate the Crown Prince Regent Hirohito in the Toranomon incident on December 27, 1923.
Yoshie Fujiwara (藤原 義江, Fujiwara Yoshie; December 5, 1898 in Osaka, Japan – March 22, 1976) was a Japanese tenor singer.
Chiyo Uno (Japanese: 宇野 千代, Hepburn: Uno Chiyo; November 28, 1897–June 10, 1996) was a Japanese author and kimono…
Chiyo Uno (Japanese: 宇野 千代, Hepburn: Uno Chiyo; November 28, 1897–June 10, 1996) was a Japanese author and kimono designer, known for her contributions to Japanese fashion, film, and literature.
Tsuneko Akamatsu (11 August 1897 – 21 July 1965) was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Councillors.
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.
Katsumaro Akamatsu (Japanese: 赤松 克麿, Hepburn: Akamatsu Katsumaro; 4 December 1894 – 13 December 1955) was a Japanese…
Katsumaro Akamatsu (Japanese: 赤松 克麿, Hepburn: Akamatsu Katsumaro; 4 December 1894 – 13 December 1955) was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Councillors for Hokkaido 4th district from 1937 to 1942. Initially a left-winger and member of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), he shifted to the right and embraced fascism. Born in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, as the son and grandson of high priests, Akamatsu was educated at Tokyo Imperial University and studied under Sakuzō Yoshino. After graduation he became involved in the Japanese Federation of Labour and chief of its political bureau. Akamatsu was a founding member of the JCP, but left to join the Social Democratic Party. He rose to become secretary-general of the party, but left due to his support of Japan's actions during the Mukden incident. Tatsuo Tsukui and Akamatsu formed multiple nationalist and fascist parties before joining the Imperial Rule Assistance Association.
Genki Abe (安倍源基, Abe Genki; 14 February 1894 – 8 October 1989) was a lawyer, police bureaucrat and cabinet minister in…
Genki Abe (安倍源基, Abe Genki; 14 February 1894 – 8 October 1989) was a lawyer, police bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early Shōwa era Japan.
Kodama Kyūichi (児玉九一; 3 August 1893 – 23 May 1960) was a Japanese Home Ministry government official, politician and…
Kodama Kyūichi (児玉九一; 3 August 1893 – 23 May 1960) was a Japanese Home Ministry government official, politician and governor. He was the son of the General Kodama Gentarō.
Raizō Tanaka (田中 頼三, Tanaka Raizō; 27 April 1892 – 9 July 1969) was a rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN)…
Raizō Tanaka (田中 頼三, Tanaka Raizō; 27 April 1892 – 9 July 1969) was a rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during most of World War II. A specialist in the heavy torpedoes that were carried by all the destroyers and cruisers of the IJN, Tanaka mainly commanded destroyer squadrons, with a cruiser or two attached, and he was the primary leader of the "Tokyo Express" reinforcement and resupply shipments during the long campaign for the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific Ocean. From the Americans, Tanaka acquired the nickname of "Tenacious Tanaka" for his stalwart opposition.
Sanzō Nosaka (野坂 参三, Nosaka Sanzō; March 30, 1892 – November 14, 1993) was a Japanese writer, editor, labor organizer…
Sanzō Nosaka (野坂 参三, Nosaka Sanzō; March 30, 1892 – November 14, 1993) was a Japanese writer, editor, labor organizer, communist agent, politician, and university professor and a founder of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). He was the son of a wealthy Japanese merchant, and attended Keio University. While in university, Nosaka became interested in social movements, and joined a moderate labor organization after graduation, working as a research staff member, and as a writer and editor of the organization's magazine. He traveled to Britain in 1919 to study political economy, where he deepened his studies of Marxism and became a confirmed communist. Nosaka was a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, but his activity within British communist circles led to him being deported from Britain in 1921. After leaving Britain, Nosaka traveled through the Soviet Union (USSR). He returned to Japan in 1922, where he co-founded the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). Nosaka became a labor organizer, but was arrested twice by the Japanese government for his activities. After being released from prison a second time, Nosaka secretly returned to the USSR in 1931, where he became an agent of the Comintern. He traveled to the West Coast of the United States, where he worked as a spy from 1934 to 1938. After leaving the United States, Nosaka worked in China from 1940 to 1945, supporting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by encouraging and recruiting captured Japanese soldiers to support and fight for the Chinese communists against the Imperial Japanese Army, and coordinating a spy network that operated throughout Japanese-occupied China. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Nosaka returned to Japan with hundreds of other Japanese communists, where he led the JCP during the occupation by the Allies. Nosaka attempted to brand the JCP as a "lovable" populist party supporting Japan's peaceful transition to socialism, but his strategy was criticized within the party and within the Soviet Union. During the Korean War the JCP temporarily endorsed violence, and Nosaka disappeared from public life and went underground. He re-emerged to lead the JCP again in 1955, after which he attempted to disrupt the US-Japan Security Treaty by organizing public demonstrations, but he generally supported the JCP's role as a peaceful party. In 1958 Nosaka became Chairman of the JCP, a position he held until retirement at the age of 90, after which he was declared Honorary Chairman. Nosaka joined the faculty of Keio University, and he was widely idolized among left-wing intellectuals until shortly before his death, when the fall of the Soviet Union exposed controversial aspects of his relationship with Joseph Stalin's Communist regime.
Miyagi Tamayo (宮城タマヨ, Miyagi Tamayo; 1 February 1892 – 19 November 1960), née Ueda (植田, Ueda), was a Japanese social…
Miyagi Tamayo (宮城タマヨ, Miyagi Tamayo; 1 February 1892 – 19 November 1960), née Ueda (植田, Ueda), was a Japanese social worker and politician who was a member of the House of Councillors.
Ichirō Satō (佐藤 市郎, Satō Ichirō; August 28, 1889 – April 12, 1958) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy…
Ichirō Satō (佐藤 市郎, Satō Ichirō; August 28, 1889 – April 12, 1958) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, educator, historian, and naval diplomat. As a member of the Satō–Kishi–Abe family, he was the older brother of two Japanese prime ministers, Nobusuke Kishi and Eisaku Satō.
Tomokiyo Yoshisane (Japanese: 友清歓真; October 9, 1888 – February 15, 1952), also known as Tomokiyo Banzan (友清磐山) or…
Tomokiyo Yoshisane (Japanese: 友清歓真; October 9, 1888 – February 15, 1952), also known as Tomokiyo Banzan (友清磐山) or Tomokiyo Kugo (友清九吾), was a Japanese religious leader known for founding the Shintō Tenkōkyo religion in 1920.
Masaru Aoki (青木 正児, Aoki Masaru; or Seiji, 1887–1964) was a Japanese Sinologist.
Saichirō Fujita (藤田左弌郎, Fujita Saichirō; 1886 – 1976), a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture, was the second Japanese to…
Saichirō Fujita (藤田左弌郎, Fujita Saichirō; 1886 – 1976), a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture, was the second Japanese to become a member of the Baháʼí Faith from Japan. He was also distinguished by serving for many years at the Baháʼí World Centre through many of the heads of the religion from the time of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, the period of the Custodians, and then the Universal House of Justice. While attending school in Oakland, California he joined the religion in 1904-5. Later he met ʻAbdu'l-Bahá during his journeys to the West in 1912. Initially Fujita was living in Cleveland working for a Doctor Barton-Peek, a female Baháʼí, but failed to meet ʻAbdu'l-Bahá as he came through. Later on ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's next trip west Fujita caught up with him when he reached Chicago at the home of Corinne True and from there traveled with ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to the west coast and back. During the trip there was an incident similar to the well known one of Louis George Gregory in that at a dinner a place at the table was not set for Fujita and ʻAbdu'l-Baha asked for a place be set. Fujita was separated from ʻAbdu'l-Bahá when he left the United States until 1919 when ʻAbdu'l-Bahá offered an invitation for him to serve the interests of the religion in Haifa at the Baháʼí World Centre. During his lifetime two tablets were addressed to Fujita specifically by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. Siegfried Schopflocher, who would later be appointed a Hand of the Cause, converted to the Baháʼí Faith during a meeting with Fujita in 1921 shortly after the death of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. From his arrival in Haifa, Fujita would serve the rest of his life there except during the tensions of World War II. At the end of World War II contact was re-established with Fujita after some searching by Michael Jamir and later Fujita was able to return to continue to serve at the Baháʼí World Centre. He attended the first Asian Regional Teaching Conference, held in Nikko, Japan, 1955. Until his death in 1976 he continued to serve in Haifa. He is buried in Haifa.
Takekai Shirane (25 May 1883 – 5 March 1957) was a Japanese official who served as Chief Cabinet Secretary under Prime…
Takekai Shirane (25 May 1883 – 5 March 1957) was a Japanese official who served as Chief Cabinet Secretary under Prime Minister Keisuke Okada from 1935 to 1936. An official in the Home Ministry, he served as governor of a large number of prefectures throughout his career, including Hyōgo, Hiroshima and Shizuoka.
Santōka Taneda (種田 山頭火, Taneda Santōka; December 3, 1882 – October 11, 1940) was the pen-name of Shōichi Taneda (種田 正一…
Santōka Taneda (種田 山頭火, Taneda Santōka; December 3, 1882 – October 11, 1940) was the pen-name of Shōichi Taneda (種田 正一, Taneda Shōichi), a Japanese author and haiku poet. He is known for his free verse haiku—a style which does not conform to the formal rules of traditional haiku.
Yoshisuke Aikawa (or Gisuke Ayukawa) (鮎川 義介, Aikawa Yoshisuke; 6 November 1880 – 13 February 1967) was a Japanese…
Yoshisuke Aikawa (or Gisuke Ayukawa) (鮎川 義介, Aikawa Yoshisuke; 6 November 1880 – 13 February 1967) was a Japanese entrepreneur, businessman, and politician, noteworthy as the founder and first president of the Nissan zaibatsu, one of Japan's most powerful business conglomerates around the time of the Second World War.
Nobumasa Suetsugu (末次 信正, Suetsugu Nobumasa; 30 June 1880 – 29 December 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese…
Nobumasa Suetsugu (末次 信正, Suetsugu Nobumasa; 30 June 1880 – 29 December 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and briefly served as Home Minister in the 1940s.
Yōsuke Matsuoka (松岡 洋右, Matsuoka Yōsuke; March 4, 1880 – June 27, 1946) was a Japanese diplomat and Minister for…
Yōsuke Matsuoka (松岡 洋右, Matsuoka Yōsuke; March 4, 1880 – June 27, 1946) was a Japanese diplomat and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan during the early stages of World War II. He is best known for his defiant speech at the League of Nations in February 1933, ending Japan's participation in the organization. He was also one of the architects of the Tripartite Pact and the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in the years immediately prior to the outbreak of war.
Hajime Kawakami (河上 肇, Kawakami Hajime; 20 October 1879 – 30 January 1946) was a Japanese professor and economist who…
Hajime Kawakami (河上 肇, Kawakami Hajime; 20 October 1879 – 30 January 1946) was a Japanese professor and economist who studied Marxism and was active in Japanese communism. He was the editor and publisher of multiple magazines and journals and his academic work includes translations of the works of Edwin R. A. Seligman, Irving Fisher, Nicolaas Pierson, and Das Kapital. Born to a retainer for the Kikkawa clan and municipal official, Kawakami was raised and educated in Iwakuni and Yamaguchi. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1902 and became a professor at the university. Kawakami left the university to join Itō Shōshin's Garden of Selflessness after being inspired by Arnold Toynbee and Leo Tolstoy. He lived with the sect for two months before returning to Tokyo. Kawakami received a job at the Kyoto Imperial University in 1908 and became a professor in 1915. He studied in Europe shortly before and during the outbreak of World War I and wrote Tale of Poverty in response to the wealth inequality he witnessed. He started studying Marxism in 1919 and reorganised his lecture around the writings of Karl Marx in 1927. Ikuo Oyama and the Labour-Farmer Party were supported by Kawakami during the 1928 Japanese general election, but the party was suppressed after the March 15 incident and Kawakami was fired from the university. Kawakami was arrested for his political activities multiple times. He was a candidate of the New Labour-Farmer Party in the 1930 Japanese general election. He joined the Japanese Communist Party in 1932 and was the editor of Shimbun Akahata. The police arrested Kawakami in 1933, and he was sentenced to prison for five years. He was released in 1937 and spent the remainder of his life writing poetry and his autobiography.
Count Hisaichi Terauchi (寺内 寿一, Terauchi Hisaichi; 8 August 1879 – 12 June 1946) was a Gensui (or field marshal) in the…
Count Hisaichi Terauchi (寺内 寿一, Terauchi Hisaichi; 8 August 1879 – 12 June 1946) was a Gensui (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II.
Hikosuke Fukuda (福田 彦助, Fukuda Hikosuke; 5 November 1875 – 30 July 1959) was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial…
Hikosuke Fukuda (福田 彦助, Fukuda Hikosuke; 5 November 1875 – 30 July 1959) was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He is best known for his involvement in the Jinan Incident.
Ushimaro Sawada (沢田 牛麿, Sawada Ushimaro; 6 February 1874 – 29 January 1958) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician…
Ushimaro Sawada (沢田 牛麿, Sawada Ushimaro; 6 February 1874 – 29 January 1958) was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as Governor of Aomori Prefecture, Governor of Saga Prefecture, Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture, Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, 19th Director-General of the Hokkaidō Agency, and later as a member of the House of Peers.
Jūrō Oka (岡 十郎 Oka Jūrō, 27 July 1870 – 8 January 1923) was a Japanese businessman considered the "father of Japanese…
Jūrō Oka (岡 十郎 Oka Jūrō, 27 July 1870 – 8 January 1923) was a Japanese businessman considered the "father of Japanese whaling". In the 1890s Oka travelled to the West to acquire whaling techniques and equipment, and in 1899 established Nihon En'yō Gyogyō K.K., which caught its first whale the following year with Norwegian gunner. Whaling in Japan grew rapidly and competition was fierce. In 1908 Oka became the first president of the Japan Whaling Association. Oka declared Japan would "become one of the greatest whaling nations in the world ... The day will come when we shall hear one morning that whales have been caught in the Arctic and in the evening that whales are being hunted in the Antarctic."