Documents for "Japanese History: Biographies":

• Adams, Will (William Adams), 1564?-1620, first Englishman to visit Japan. As pilot of a Dutch ship searching for gold and trade, he reached Japan in 1600. At first imprisoned and sentenced to death, Adams was...

• Akihito 1933-, emperor of Japan (1989-). As crown prince, he traveled widely, visiting Great Britain, Canada, the United States, and many countries of Asia and South America. Like his father, Hirohito , Akihito is an accomplished amateur marine biologist. In Apr., 1959, he married Michiko Shoda, a commoner; it was the first time that an heir to the Japanese throne had wed outside the court...

• Hamaguchi, Osachi 1870-1931, Japanese statesman. He was finance minister (1924-26) and home minister (1926-27) before becoming (1927) president of the Minseito party. As prime minister (1929-30, 1931), he failed in...

• Hara, Takashi (Kei) 1856-1921, Japanese statesman, prime minister (1918-21). As secretary-general and later president (1914), Hara established the Seiyukai as the first powerful majority party by compromise with the oligarchs (see genro ), distribution of patronage posts to cooperative bureaucrats, exploitation of public works legislation, and lavish use of election money. He was the first prime minister to form a party cabinet in...

• Hashimoto, Ryutaro 1937-2006, Japanese politician, b. Tokyo, grad. Keio Univ. He entered politics in 1963, when he was elected to parliament from Okayama prefecture. A member of the conservative Liberal Democratic...

• Hata, Tsutomu 1935-, Japanese politician, b. Tokyo. After 10 years in Japan's private sector, he was elected (1969) to parliament as a member of the Liberal Democrat party (LDP) from Nagano prefecture, and was...

• Hatoyama, Ichiro 1883-1959, Japanese statesman. A graduate of the law school of Tokyo Imperial Univ., he was first elected to the lower house of the Japanese legislature in 1915. Hatoyama was education minister in...

• Hideyoshi (Hideyoshi Toyotomi) , 1536-98, Japanese warrior and dictator. He entered the service of Nobunaga as his sandal holder and rose to become his leading general. After Nobunaga's death Hideyoshi ruled as civilian dictator. He set out to unify Japan, violently disrupted by a century of civil...

• Hiranuma, Kiichiro, Baron 1865-1952, Japanese statesman, founder of the Kokuhonsha, a powerful militaristic and reactionary society. He became minister of justice in 1923. The following year he founded the Kokuhonsha,...

• Hirohito 1901-89, emperor of Japan. He was made regent in 1921 and succeeded his father, Yoshihito (the Taishō emperor), in 1926. He married (1924) Princess Nagako Kuni (1903-2000); a son and heir, Prince Akihito , was born in 1933. For 20 years he reigned as sovereign as Japan went to war in China and the Pacific, and in 1945 he made an unprecedented radio broadcast announcing Japan's unconditional...

• Hirota, Koki 1878-1948, Japanese statesman. He graduated from the law school of Tokyo Univ. A career diplomat, he served as ambassador to Russia (1930-32) and as foreign minister (1933-36). He became prime...

• Hosokawa, Morihiro 1938-, Japanese politician, a member of a noble family and grandson of Fumimaro Konoye. A journalist and member of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP), he entered politics in 1971 when he was elected to the upper house of the Japanese parliament. After two terms in parliament, he...

• Ieyasu (Ieyasu Tokugawa) , 1542-1616, Japanese warrior and dictator. A gifted leader and brilliant general, he founded the Tokugawa shogunate. Early in his career he helped Nobunaga and Hideyoshi unify Japan. In 1590 he received the area surrounding Edo (Tokyo) in fief, and he later made Edo his capital. After Hideyoshi's death (1598), he became the most powerful daimyo by defeating rival...

• Ikeda, Hayato 1899-1965, Japanese political leader, prime minister (1960-64). After serving as an official in the finance ministry (1925-48) he entered politics, gaining election to Japan's house of...

• Inouye, Kaoru 1835-1915, Japanese statesman. He was a leader of the antiforeign movement in his native Choshu fief, and helped set fire to the British legation in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1862. He changed his views...

• Inukai, Ki (Tsuyoshi) , 1855-1932, Japanese statesman. He became president of the Seiyukai party in 1929 and was prime minister from Jan. to May, 1932. His cabinet sanctioned the Manchurian Incident of 1931....

• Ishii, Kikujiro 1865-1945, Japanese career diplomat. He entered the foreign ministry after graduating from Tokyo Univ. with a degree in English law. In 1907-8 he helped negotiate the gentlemen's agreement to...

• Itagaki, Taisuke 1837-1919, Japanese statesman. After taking part in the Meiji restoration , he became (1869) a councillor of state. A samurai of Tosa, he opposed domination of the government by the Choshu and Satsuma clans. He helped launch a campaign for an elective assembly that led to...

• Ito, Hirobumi 1841-1909, Japanese statesman, the outstanding figure in the modernization of Japan. As a young Choshu samurai, he was a xenophobe. In 1863 he visited Europe, studied science in England, and...

• Iwakura, Tomomi, Prince 1825-83, Japanese statesman. A court noble, he supported the Meiji restoration and became a minister of state (1871-83). In 1871 he headed a mission to Europe and the United States that failed to secure abolition of the unequal treaties but brought back much useful...

• Iyeyasu see Ieyasu.

• Kaifu, Toshiki 1931-, Japanese politician. A graduate of the law faculty at Waseda Univ., Kaifu ran successfully for parliament in 1954. A member of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP), he served twice as...

• Katayama, Tetsu 1887-1978, Japanese statesman. He was a founder (1926) of the Social Democratic party. When the party was suppressed by the police, Katayama helped organize (1931) its successor, the Social Mass...

• Kato, Komei (Takaaki) 1860-1926, Japanese statesman. He entered the foreign ministry after graduating from Tokyo Univ. He served (1909) as ambassador to Great Britain. He was foreign minister (1914-15), but his...

• Kato, Tomosaburo 1861-1923, Japanese admiral. He was naval chief of staff (1894-95) and chief assistant to Admiral Togo in the Russo-Japanese War. As navy minister from 1915 to 1923, he directed Japanese naval...

• Katsura, Taro 1847-1913, Japanese statesman. A Choshu clansman, and a protégé of Aritomo Yamagata , he served as war minister, then (1901-6) as prime minister. During that administration, with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902 and the defeat (1904-5) of Russia, Japan emerged as the major power...

• Kishi, Nobusuke 1896-1987, Japanese statesman; older brother of Eisaku Sato. The son of a minor official, he went to live with prosperous relatives and took their name. After attending the law college of Tokyo Univ., he entered government service in 1920, rising to high...

• Koiso, Kuniaki 1880-1950, Japanese general. He was chief of staff of the Kwantung army, commander in chief in Korea, and governor-general of Korea before he replaced Tojo as prime minister in July, 1944. He...

• Koizumi, Junichiro 1942-, Japanese political leader, b. Yokosuka. From a political family, he studied economics at Keio Univ. (grad. 1967) and the London School of Economics. He entered politics in 1970 as a member...

• Konoye, Fumimaro 1891-1945, Japanese statesman. He was a scion of the ancient Fujiwara noble family. In June, 1937, he accepted the premiership. A former liberal, he now favored increased armament and centralized...

• Kurusu, Saburo 1886-1954, Japanese career diplomat. As ambassador to Germany from 1939 to 1941, he signed the Berlin Pact (Sept., 1940). A special envoy to Washington, he and Admiral Nomura were negotiating when...

• Matsudaira, Tsuneo 1877-1949, Japanese diplomat. He was much involved in negotiations with the United States and Great Britain and as a delegate to the post-World War I naval conferences. He served as ambassador in...

• Matsukata, Masayoshi 1835-1924, Japanese statesman. A Satsuma clansman and a genro , he was a leading figure in the modernization of Japan. As finance minister (1881-91) his programs stimulated economic activity, increased exports, and laid the basis for armament expansion. As...

• Matsuoka, Yosuke 1880-1946, Japanese statesman and diplomat. After graduating from the Univ. of Oregon, he served briefly in the foreign ministry and then entered the South Manchurian Railway Company (1921). He became a spokesman for the expansionist Japanese policy and led the Japanese delegation out of the League of Nations in 1933. He was appointed president of the South Manchurian...

• Meiji 1852-1912, reign name of the emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912; his given name was Mutsuhito. He ascended the throne when he was 15. A year later the shogun fell, and the power that had been held by the Tokugawa military house was returned to the emperor. This was the Meiji restoration , a pivotal event in the modern history of Japan, for it meant the downfall of Japanese feudalism and the forging of a new and modern state. Emperor Meiji himself had little political power, but he...

• Miyazawa, Kiichi 1919-, Japanese politician, b. Fukuyama. A member of an eminent political family, he graduated from Tokyo Univ. and served in the finance ministry during the Allied occupation. After serving in...

• Mori, Yoshiri 1937-, Japanese politician, prime minister of Japan (2000-2001), b. Neagari. Born into a political family in rural Ishikawa prefecture and educated at Waseda Univ., he was a newspaper reporter...

• Murayama, Tomiichi 1924-, Japanese politician. A long-time labor union official and member of the Socialist party, he was originally elected to parliament in 1972. In 1994 he became head of his party and later that...

• Mutsuhito see Meiji.

• Nakasone, Yasuhiro 1918-, Japanese political leader and prime minister (1982-87). He served in the Diet after 1946. A political ally of Kakuei Tanaka , Nakasone succeeded Zenko Suzuki as prime minister. He increased...

• Naruhito 1960-, Japanese crown prince, son of Akihito. He was officially invested as crown prince in 1991. In 1993 he married Masako Owada, a commoner. They have a daughter.

• Nobunaga (Nobunaga Oda) , 1534-82, Japanese military commander. The son of a daimyo , Nobunaga greatly expanded his father's holdings, becoming master of three provinces near present-day Nagoya. The emperor secretly appealed to him for help, and Nobunaga, acting in the emperor's...

• Nogi, Maresuke 1849-1912, Japanese general. Made a lieutenant general in 1895, he became governor-general of Taiwan. He was the hero of the capture of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War and was honored as a model...

• Nomura, Kichisaburo 1877-1964, Japanese admiral and diplomat. A graduate of the Japanese naval academy, he commanded troops at Shanghai in 1932, was made a full admiral in 1933, and resigned from active service in...

• Obuchi, Keizo 1937-2000, Japanese politician, prime minister of Japan (1998-2000), b. Nakanojo. The son of a silk manufacturer and politician, Obuchi graduated from Waseda Univ. in 1962 and in 1963 was elected...

• Oda Nobunaga see Nobunaga.

• Ohira, Masayoshi 1910-80, Japanese political leader, prime minister (1978-80) of Japan. After serving in the house of representatives, he became foreign minister (1962-64, 1972-74) and minister of finance...

• Okada, Keisuke 1862-1952, Japanese statesman and admiral. He was (1927-29, 1932-34) minister of the navy before serving (1934-36) as premier. He resigned the premiership after the abortive military coup of Feb.,...

• Okubo, Toshimichi 1830-78, Japanese statesman. A major figure in the Meiji restoration, he was influential in introducing Western ideas to Japan. He supported the emperor against the shogun and worked to eliminate...

• Okuma, Shigenobu 1838-1922, Japanese statesman. He was an early supporter of the emperor and entered the Meiji government as finance minister in 1869. In 1876 he had the annual stipends of the former feudal...

• Oyama, Iwao 1842-1916, Japanese field marshal. A native of Satsuma and a follower of Okubo Toshimichi, he worked to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and restore the emperor. Made acting war minister in 1876,...

• Ozaki, Yukio 1859-1954, Japanese statesman, the outstanding liberal of modern Japan. A newspaper editor, he helped Okuma form the Kaishinto (Progressive party) in 1881. He was a member of the Seiyukai in 1900...

• Saigo, Takamori 1828-77, Japanese soldier and statesman noted for his obstinate conservatism. He was an early opponent of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was exiled (1859-64) but returned to train Satsuma warriors. In...

• Saionji, Kimmochi, Prince 1850-1940, Japanese statesman. He took part in the Meiji restoration, then spent 10 years in France, absorbing many democratic ideas. In 1882 he accompanied his friend and patron, Prince Ito, to...

• Saito, Makoto 1858-1936, Japanese admiral and statesman. A moderate militarist, his selection as prime minister (1932-34) to replace Ki Inukai, who had been assassinated, signaled the end of prewar party...

• Sato, Eisaku 1901-75, Japanese politician, prime minister (1964-72), brother of Nobusuke Kishi. After receiving a law degree from Tokyo Imperial Univ. (1924) he entered the ministry of railways, serving there until 1947, when he was appointed vice minister of transportation. He left the...

• Shidehara, Kijuro 1872-1951, Japanese statesman. A career diplomat, he was ambassador to the Netherlands (1914-15), vice foreign minister (1915), and ambassador to the United States (1919-22). He served (1924-27,...

• Suzuki, Kantaro 1867-1948, Japanese admiral. He served briefly as prime minister from Apr., 1945, until Aug. 15, the day after the announcement of Japan's surrender in the last days of World War II. He favored...

• Suzuki, Zenko 1911-2004, Japanese politican. A founder of the ruling Liberal Democratic party (1955), he became prime minister on the death of Masayoshi Ohira (1980). Criticism from within the party and a failure...

• Taishō 1879-1926, reign name of emperor of Japan (1912-26). His given name was Yoshihito. The son of Mutsuhito, the Meiji emperor, he succeeded to the throne in 1912, but because of illness he played little part in governing the nation. His reign was characterized by democratization, friendly relations with the West,...

• Takahashi, Korekiyo 1854-1936, Japanese statesman and financier. Long an official of the Yokohama Specie Bank, he became its president in 1906, and from 1911 to 1913 he was president of the Bank of Japan. In 1921,...

• Takeshita, Noboru 1924-2000, Japanese politician, b. Kakeya. The son of a sake brewer, he was first elected to parliament in 1958 and served as chief cabinet secretary, construction minister, and finance minister...

• Tanaka, Giichi 1863-1929, Japanese statesman and general. He is famous as the alleged author of the so-called Tanaka Memorial (1927), purporting to set forth Japan's plans for foreign conquest. Although proven...

• Tanaka, Kakuei 1918-93, Japanese political leader and prime minister (1972-74). Born to a poor rural family, he moved to Tokyo at the age of 15 and by 1937 had established his own construction firm. He prospered...

• Togo, Heihachiro 1846-1934, Japanese admiral, Japan's greatest naval hero. He studied naval science in England (1871-78), gained international recognition for his service in the First Sino-Japanese War , and contributed...

• Tojo, Hideki 1884-1948, Japanese general and statesman. He became prime minister after he forced Konoye's resignation in Oct., 1941. His accession marked the final triumph of the military faction which...

• Tokugawa family that held the shogunate (see shogun ) and controlled Japan from 1603 to 1867. Founded by Ieyasu, the Tokugawa regime was a centralized feudalism. The Tokugawa themselves held approximately one fourth of the country in strategically...

• Wakatsuki, Reijiro 1866-1949, Japanese statesman. He served (1906, 1908-11) as vice minister of finance, was elected to parliament in 1911, and was minister of finance from 1912 to 1915. He helped draft (1925) the...

• Yamagata, Aritomo 1838-1922, Japanese soldier and statesman, chief founder of the modern Japanese army. A samurai of Choshu, he took part in the Meiji restoration. He studied military science in Europe and returned...

• Yamamoto, Gombei 1852-1933, Japanese admiral. He was navy minister (1898-1906) during the Russo-Japanese War. Yamamoto was later (1913-14, 1923-24) prime minister. His first cabinet was involved in a scandal...

• Yamamoto, Isoroku 1884-1943, Japanese admiral in World War II. He headed the combined fleet in 1941 and was the mastermind behind Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. After he was killed in action in 1943, he became a...

• Yamashita, Tomoyuki 1888-1946, Japanese general. He studied military science in Germany. He commanded (1941) the Malayan campaign and forced Singapore to surrender (Feb., 1942). He also commanded during the...

• Yoritomo (Yoritomo Minamoto) , 1148-99, Japanese warrior and dictator, founder of the Kamakura shogunate. After a prolonged struggle he led his clan, the Minamoto, to victory over the Taira in 1185. He became (1192) the first shogun , established his bakufu (headquarters) at Kamakura, and rewarded his retainers with estates strategically located throughout the country. These fiefs later became the basis of the power of the daimyo. Aided by scholars drawn from the imperial court, which Yoritomo controlled, he set up an administrative network that soon became the only effective central government. His shogunate marked the...

• Yoshida, Shigeru 1878-1967, Japanese statesman. He was until 1954 the most powerful political figure in postwar Japan. He was ambassador to Italy (1930-32) and to Great Britain (1936-39). He was arrested late in...

• Yoshihito see Taishō.