Yukio Ozaki was a Japanese politician of liberal signature, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa.
16 Facts About Yukio Ozaki
2.
Yukio Ozaki is still revered in Japan as the "God of constitutional politics" and the "father of the Japanese Constitution".
3.
Yukio Ozaki was one of three children of Yukio Ozaki Yukimasa and his wife Sadako, who lived in the village of Matano, in the county of Tsukui, in Kanagawa Prefecture, in the Sagami hills, 35 miles west of Edo.
4.
Yukio Ozaki began his career as a student at Keio Gijuku, before becoming chief editor of the Niigata Shimbun at the age of 20.
5.
Yukio Ozaki was elected to the Tokyo Prefectural Assembly in 1885, before being expelled from Tokyo in 1887 for 3 years in accordance with the newly-passed Safety Preservation Law.
6.
Yukio Ozaki would serve in that position for more than 62 years, becoming one of history's longest-serving parliamentarians.
7.
In 1890, Yukio Ozaki was elected to the First Parliament as a member of the House of Representatives from Mie Prefecture; and he was re-elected 25 times.
8.
Yukio Ozaki is nicknamed "the god of constitutionalism" and "the father of parliamentary government".
9.
Yukio Ozaki married teacher and folklore author Yei Theodora Ozaki, who was not related to him despite sharing the same surname as her maiden name.
10.
Yukio Ozaki claimed to represent her father's legacy because, she stated, she was only following in her father's footsteps as president of Japan's Association for Aid and Relief, one of the network of co-laureate organizations honored with the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
11.
Yukio Ozaki was opposed to militarism and was sometimes confined by the authorities for expressing unpopular views.
12.
Yukio Ozaki could applaud those whose beliefs differed from his own.
13.
The father of one of these dangerous young men later approached Yukio Ozaki to apologize in person for the actions of his son.
14.
Yukio Ozaki immediately responded with a 32-syllable tanka poem, which he handed to the surprised man:.
15.
Yukio Ozaki was especially active in the struggle for universal suffrage; universal male suffrage was established in 1925.
16.
In 1910, Prince Iyesato Tokugawa visited Washington, DC leading a Japanese delegation that included Mayor Yukio Ozaki; this visit was linked to the Japanese gifting of cherry blossom trees to the US Prince Tokugawa introduced Mayor Yukio Ozaki to many prominent members of the Japanese American community and to leading USgovernment officials.