56 Facts About Shigeru Yoshida

Shigeru Yoshida was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of the country's occupation after World War II.

Shigeru Yoshida held various assignments abroad, including in China, where he advocated increased Japanese influence.

From 1928 to 1930, Shigeru Yoshida served as vice minister of foreign affairs, then served as ambassador to Italy until 1932.

Shigeru Yoshida served as ambassador to Britain from 1936 to 1938.

Shigeru Yoshida largely avoided political participation during the Pacific War.

Shigeru Yoshida became prime minister in 1946, after Ichiro Hatoyama was purged by authorities on the verge of taking office; Shigeru Yoshida served as foreign minister in his own first three cabinets.

Shigeru Yoshida oversaw the adoption of the Constitution of Japan before losing office after the election of 1947.

Shigeru Yoshida returned to the premiership in 1948, and negotiated the Treaty of San Francisco, which ended the occupation and saw the restoration of sovereignty to Japan, and a security treaty with the US Yoshida pursued a strategy of concentrating on economic reconstruction while relying on an alliance with the United States for defense, a strategy known as the Yoshida Doctrine.

Shigeru Yoshida's legacy continued to play an important part in Japanese political life, particularly through his two proteges, Hayato Ikeda and Eisaku Sato, who served as prime ministers from 1960 to 1964 and 1964 to 1972 respectively.

Shigeru Yoshida was born on 22 September 1878, in Kanda-Surugadai, Tokyo, the fifth son of Tsuna Takeuchi, a former samurai of the Tosa domain.

Kenzo Shigeru Yoshida was a former samurai who had traveled to England as a stowaway in his youth.

Shigeru Yoshida then established himself in Yokohama as a branch manager for Jardine Matheson, before becoming a successful businessman in his own right.

That same year, Kenzo Yoshida died, and Shigeru inherited a substantial fortune from him.

Shigeru Yoshida then went on to Higher Commercial School, but soon found he was unsuited for business and dropped out.

The university department became defunct after Prince Konoe died in 1904, so Shigeru Yoshida transferred to Tokyo Imperial University and graduated with a law degree in 1906.

Shigeru Yoshida passed the Foreign Service Entry Exam and entered Japan's diplomatic corps that same year, shortly after Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War.

In 1909, Shigeru Yoshida married Yukiko Makino, the eldest daughter of Nobuaki Makino.

When Terauchi was appointed prime minister in 1916, Shigeru Yoshida turned down an offer to serve as his personal secretary.

Shigeru Yoshida was instead assigned to the Japanese embassy in the United States, but this appointment was cancelled when the Ministry became aware Yoshida had opposed the Twenty-One Demands, which he thought undermined the Japanese policy in China by alienating the Western powers and provoking Chinese opposition.

Shigeru Yoshida was instead made chief of the documents section the following year and in 1918 he was appointed consul in Jinan, China.

In March 1928, Shigeru Yoshida was first appointed minister to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, but before assuming the post he was appointed vice minister for foreign affairs in July of the same year, after having recommended himself to the Prime Minister Giichi Tanaka.

Shigeru Yoshida acquainted Ichiro Hatoyama, who was chief cabinet secretary under Tanaka.

Shigeru Yoshida remained in his post when Tanaka was replaced as prime minister by Osachi Hamaguchi and as foreign minister by Kijuro Shidehara in July 1929, until he was appointed ambassador to Italy in December 1930.

Shigeru Yoshida returned to Japan in 1932 and, after having turned down the ambassadorship to the United States, for which he considered himself unsuitable, held a nebulous role as an ambassador-in-waiting.

Shigeru Yoshida undertook some foreign tours on behalf of the ministry and notably developed a warm relationship with the American ambassador Joseph Grew.

Shigeru Yoshida assisted Hirota in the cabinet formation and was himself considered for the post of foreign minister.

Right before the Pacific War began, Shigeru Yoshida joined Konoe in unsuccessfully attempting to deescalate the situation.

Shigeru Yoshida was brought out of retirement to serve as foreign minister in the cabinet of Prince Higashikuni after the resignation of Mamoru Shigemitsu in September 1945.

When Prince Higashikuni resigned Shigeru Yoshida was approached by the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Koichi Kido to become prime minister, but he turned him down and suggested Kijuro Shidehara for the post, who was duly appointed.

Hatoyama approached Shigeru Yoshida to take his place as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, despite Shigeru Yoshida not even being a member of the party.

Shigeru Yoshida oversaw the adoption of the post-war Constitution of Japan, which was promulgated on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947.

Shigeru Yoshida believed that the strike would be an economic catastrophe, which could create the conditions for a communist revolution.

Shigeru Yoshida himself stood for election for the first time, choosing for his constituency Kochi Prefecture, where his family originated.

Shigeru Yoshida was approached by Tetsu Katayama and Suehiro Nishio, respectively chairman and secretary general of the Socialist Party, about including the Liberal Party in a grand coalition, but he declined because he considered the left-wing of the Socialist Party too close to the communists.

Shigeru Yoshida was succeeded by Tetsu Katayama on 24 May 1947.

Shigeru Yoshida used this time to strengthen his party and consolidate his leadership.

Shigeru Yoshida soon called an election which was held in January 1949; his party won in a landslide.

Shigeru Yoshida appointed Hayato Ikeda finance minister later the same month.

In September 1951, Shigeru Yoshida signed the Treaty of San Francisco, a peace treaty with the Allies that would serve as a formal peace agreement and bring about the end of the occupation of Japan when the treaty took effect in April 1952.

Shigeru Yoshida signed the Security Treaty, which inaugurated the post-war military alliance between Japan and the United States.

The Shigeru Yoshida Doctrine was a strategy adopted by Japan under Shigeru Yoshida starting in 1951.

Shigeru Yoshida concentrated upon reconstructing Japan's domestic economy while relying heavily on the security alliance with the United States.

The Shigeru Yoshida doctrine was accepted by the United States; the actual term was coined in 1977.

The Shigeru Yoshida Doctrine shaped Japanese foreign policy into the 21st century.

Since Shigeru Yoshida had originally become prime minister as a replacement for Hatoyama, many expected him to step down in Hatoyama's favour, but by this time Shigeru Yoshida had become a well-established politician in his own right and had no intention to retire.

Shigeru Yoshida was replaced by Ichiro Hatoyama on December 10,1954.

Shigeru Yoshida resigned as party president in favour of Taketora Ogata at the same time.

Shigeru Yoshida remained in the Diet until his retirement in 1963.

Shigeru Yoshida served a president of the America-Japan Society from 1960 and as chancellor of Kogakkan University from 1962.

Shigeru Yoshida was president of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Shigeru Yoshida died on 20 October 1967 at his home in Oiso.

Shigeru Yoshida was baptized on his deathbed, having hidden his Catholicism throughout most of his life.

Shigeru Yoshida's funeral was held in St Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo and he was buried at Aoyama Cemetery.

Shigeru Yoshida has long been regarded as prioritising the economy over defense, but recent years have seen a reevaluation of this viewpoint.

In 1909, Shigeru Yoshida married Makino Yukiko, the eldest daughter of Makino Nobuaki.

Two of Shigeru Yoshida's grandchildren are Taro Aso, who served as the 92nd prime minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009, and Nobuko Aso, who later married Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a first cousin of Emperor Akihito.