Ritsuta Noda
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
trade union
ist and politician. Noda served as the chairman of the pro-communist national trade union centre Hyōgikai
.
in 1891. He completed his primary school studies and began working at the age of twelve. In 1904 he moved to Osaka
, where he began an apprenticeship at an electric company. He went on to serve as a fireman and joined the army, but was released from military service due to health reasons.
After being released from the army, Noda began working at a foundry
. He also volunteered as part of a military transportation crew during the 1914 Siege of Tsingtao.
Noda and his wife were also founders of the clandestine Osaka Birth Control Study Society in 1923.
When the pro-communist Hyōgikai
trade union centre was founded in May 1925, Noda was elected as its chairman. Noda was not a Communist Party
member at the time though, although he later became a communist.
Noda stood as the Labour-Farmer Party
candidate from the first district of Osaka Prefecture
in the 1928 national Diet election (one of eleven Communist Party members running as Labour-Farmer Party candidates across the country). He was not elected. He was arrested in connection with the March 15 incident
, and sentenced to two years imprisonment and five years suspended prison sentence.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and politician. Noda served as the chairman of the pro-communist national trade union centre Hyōgikai
Hyōgikai
was a trade union centre in Japan which operated from 1920.Hyōgikai was founded at a conference in Kobe on May 24–27, 1925. As of late 1925, Hyōgikai had 59 affiliated trade unions and around 35,000 members. The organization was affiliated with the Pan Pacific Trade Union Secretariat...
.
Early life
Noda was born in a small village in Okayama PrefectureOkayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
in 1891. He completed his primary school studies and began working at the age of twelve. In 1904 he moved to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, where he began an apprenticeship at an electric company. He went on to serve as a fireman and joined the army, but was released from military service due to health reasons.
After being released from the army, Noda began working at a foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
. He also volunteered as part of a military transportation crew during the 1914 Siege of Tsingtao.
Trade unionist
Noda was active in trade unions in Osaka along with his wife Kimiko. He had joined the trade union movement in 1916. Between 1919 and 1922 he mobilized various strikes amongst the shipyard and iron workers of the city. In 1923 he founded the Osaka Machine Workers Union (affiliated to the Sodomei trade union centre).Noda and his wife were also founders of the clandestine Osaka Birth Control Study Society in 1923.
When the pro-communist Hyōgikai
Hyōgikai
was a trade union centre in Japan which operated from 1920.Hyōgikai was founded at a conference in Kobe on May 24–27, 1925. As of late 1925, Hyōgikai had 59 affiliated trade unions and around 35,000 members. The organization was affiliated with the Pan Pacific Trade Union Secretariat...
trade union centre was founded in May 1925, Noda was elected as its chairman. Noda was not a Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
member at the time though, although he later became a communist.
Noda stood as the Labour-Farmer Party
Labour-Farmer Party
The was a political party in the Empire of Japan. It represented the left wing sector of the legal proletarian movement at the time. Oyama Ikuo was the chairman of the party. At the time the party was banned by the government in 1928, it was estimated to have around 90,000 members in 131 local...
candidate from the first district of Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
in the 1928 national Diet election (one of eleven Communist Party members running as Labour-Farmer Party candidates across the country). He was not elected. He was arrested in connection with the March 15 incident
March 15 incident
was a crackdown on socialists and communists by the Japanese government in 1928. Among those who were arrested in the incident was Marxist economist Kawakami Hajime.-Background:...
, and sentenced to two years imprisonment and five years suspended prison sentence.