Wakatsuki Reijiro
Encyclopedia
ō
Baron
was a Japanese politician and the 25th and 28th Prime Minister of Japan
. Opposition politician
s of the time derogatorily labeled him Usotsuki Reijirō, or "Reijirō the Liar".
, (present day Shimane Prefecture
). His father, a samurai
who served the local Matsudaira daimyō
had the family name of Okamura. Wakatsuki was adopted after marriage into the family of his wife, since that family had no male heir, and only assumed the Wakatsuki name at that time. He enrolled in the Tokyo Imperial University in 1892 and studied law.
as tax bureau director and later as vice-minister. In 1911 he was appointed to the House of Peers
. He then served as Minister of Finance under the 3rd Katsura
administration and 2nd Ōkuma
administration in the early 1910s and became a leading member of the Rikken Dōshikai
political party, and its successor the Kenseikai
, in 1914.
In June 1924, Wakatsuki was named Home Minister
in the cabinet of Prime Minister Katō Takaaki
, and worked to enact the Universal Manhood Suffrage Law
and the Peace Preservation Law
in 1925.
. His first term lasted to 20 April 1927 when he was forced to resign during the Shōwa financial crisis.
Wakatsuki was awarded the Order of the Paulownia Flowers
on November 10, 1928. After serving as chief delegate plenipotentiary to the London Naval Conference
, Wakatsuki pushed strongly for speedy ratification of the disarmament treaty, thus earning the wrath of the Japanese military
and various ultranationalist groups.
After Prime Minister Hamaguchi was forced out of office by the severe injuries incurred in an assassination attempt, Wakatsuki assumed the leadership of the Rikken Minseitō
, the successor to the Kenseikai
. He was elevated to the rank of baron
(danshaku) in the kazoku
peerage system in April 1931. Wakatsuki once again became Prime Minister from 14 April 1931 to 13 December 1931. During Wakatsuki’s second term, he failed to control the Imperial Japanese Army. He was unable either to prevent the Manchurian Incident from occurring, or to rein in the Army from further escalation of hostilities in China afterwards.
in July 1934. Despite the growing militarism in society, he continued to strongly opposed the Second Sino-Japanese War
and was adamantly opposed to extending the war to include the United States
and other western powers
. Even after the declaration of hostilities in World War II
, he publicly stated the war should end as quickly as possible. In May 1945, on hearing of the collapse of Nazi Germany
, he emerged from retirement to urge Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki
to open negotiations with the United States as soon as possible. In August, he particpated in the government panel recommending unconditional acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration
.
After the surrender of Japan
, Wakatsuki was subpeonaed by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
in June 1946 as a prosection witness at the The International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Wakatsuki died of Angina pectoris at his summer home in Itō, Shizuoka
on November 20, 1949. His grave is at the Somei Cemetery in downtown Tokyo.
Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
was a Japanese politician and the 25th and 28th Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
. Opposition politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s of the time derogatorily labeled him Usotsuki Reijirō, or "Reijirō the Liar".
Early life
Wakatsuki was born in Matsue, Izumo ProvinceIzumo Province
was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku Region.- History :It was one of the regions of ancient Japan where major political powers arose...
, (present day Shimane Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
). His father, a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who served the local Matsudaira daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
had the family name of Okamura. Wakatsuki was adopted after marriage into the family of his wife, since that family had no male heir, and only assumed the Wakatsuki name at that time. He enrolled in the Tokyo Imperial University in 1892 and studied law.
Political career
After graduation, Wakatsuki worked in the Ministry of FinanceMinistry of Finance (Japan)
The ' is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. The ministry was once named Ōkura-shō . The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Finance , who is a member of the Cabinet and is typically chosen from members of the Diet by the Prime Minister.The Ministry's origin was back in...
as tax bureau director and later as vice-minister. In 1911 he was appointed to the House of Peers
House of Peers (Japan)
The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....
. He then served as Minister of Finance under the 3rd Katsura
Katsura Taro
Prince , was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician and three-time Prime Minister of Japan.-Early life:Katsura was born into a samurai family from Hagi, Chōshū Domain...
administration and 2nd Ōkuma
Okuma Shigenobu
Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...
administration in the early 1910s and became a leading member of the Rikken Dōshikai
Rikken Doshikai
The was a political party active in the Empire of Japan in the early years of the 20th century. It was also known as simply the Dōshikai.Founded by Prime Minister Katsura Tarō on February 7, 1913, the Rikken Dōshikai largely served to support his cabinet against criticism by the Rikken Seiyūkai...
political party, and its successor the Kenseikai
Kenseikai
The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan.The Kenseikai was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the Rikken Doshikai , Chuseikai and the Koyu Kurabu...
, in 1914.
In June 1924, Wakatsuki was named Home Minister
Home Ministry (Japan)
The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
in the cabinet of Prime Minister Katō Takaaki
Kato Takaaki
Count was a Japanese politician and the 24th Prime Minister of Japan from 11 June 1924 to 28 January 1926. He was also known as Katō Kōmei.- Early life :...
, and worked to enact the Universal Manhood Suffrage Law
General Election Law
The ' was a law passed in Taishō period Japan, extending suffrage to all males aged 25 and over. It was proposed by the Kenseito political party and it was passed by the Diet of Japan on 5 May 1925.-Background:...
and the Peace Preservation Law
Peace Preservation Law
The Public Security Preservation Laws were a series of laws enacted during the Empire of Japan. Collectively, the laws were designed to suppress political dissent.-the Safety Preservation Law of 1894:...
in 1925.
As Prime Minister
On 30 January 1926, on Katō's unexpected death in office, Wakatsuki took over as Prime Minister of JapanPrime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
. His first term lasted to 20 April 1927 when he was forced to resign during the Shōwa financial crisis.
Wakatsuki was awarded the Order of the Paulownia Flowers
Order of the Paulownia Flowers
The ' is an order presented by the Japanese Government. Established in 1888 during the Meiji Restoration as the highest award in the Order of the Rising Sun; however, since 2003 it has been an Order in its own right...
on November 10, 1928. After serving as chief delegate plenipotentiary to the London Naval Conference
London Naval Conference
There were three major international naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09, the second in 1930 and the third in 1935. The latter two, together with the Washington Naval Conference in 1921-22 and the Geneva Conferences , resulted in agreements between the major powers on navy vessel...
, Wakatsuki pushed strongly for speedy ratification of the disarmament treaty, thus earning the wrath of the Japanese military
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
and various ultranationalist groups.
After Prime Minister Hamaguchi was forced out of office by the severe injuries incurred in an assassination attempt, Wakatsuki assumed the leadership of the Rikken Minseitō
Rikken Minseito
was one of the main political parties in pre-war Empire of Japan. It was commonly known as the 'Minseitō'.The Minseitō was founded on 1 June 1927, by a merger of the Kenseikai and the Seiyu Hontō political parties. Its leadership included Osachi Hamaguchi, Wakatsuki Reijirō, Yamamoto Tatsuo, ...
, the successor to the Kenseikai
Kenseikai
The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan.The Kenseikai was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the Rikken Doshikai , Chuseikai and the Koyu Kurabu...
. He was elevated to the rank of baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
(danshaku) in the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage system in April 1931. Wakatsuki once again became Prime Minister from 14 April 1931 to 13 December 1931. During Wakatsuki’s second term, he failed to control the Imperial Japanese Army. He was unable either to prevent the Manchurian Incident from occurring, or to rein in the Army from further escalation of hostilities in China afterwards.
Later life
After his retirement as Prime Minister, Wakatsuki became president of the MinseitōMinseito
Minseito is the name for two Japanese political parties:* Rikken Minseito, an important party in pre-World War II Japan * Good Governance Party, a reformist party that existed a few months in 1998...
in July 1934. Despite the growing militarism in society, he continued to strongly opposed the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and was adamantly opposed to extending the war to include the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and other western powers
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. Even after the declaration of hostilities in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he publicly stated the war should end as quickly as possible. In May 1945, on hearing of the collapse of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, he emerged from retirement to urge Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki
Kantaro Suzuki
Baron was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, member and final leader of the Taisei Yokusankai and 42nd Prime Minister of Japan from 7 April-17 August 1945.-Early life:...
to open negotiations with the United States as soon as possible. In August, he particpated in the government panel recommending unconditional acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender is a statement calling for the Surrender of Japan in World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S...
.
After the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
, Wakatsuki was subpeonaed by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
in June 1946 as a prosection witness at the The International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Wakatsuki died of Angina pectoris at his summer home in Itō, Shizuoka
Ito, Shizuoka
is a city located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 71,400 and the density of 578 persons per km². The total area was...
on November 20, 1949. His grave is at the Somei Cemetery in downtown Tokyo.