Hamaguchi Osachi (Kyūjitai: 濱口 雄幸; Shinjitai: 浜口 雄幸, also Hamaguchi Yūkō, 1 April 1870 – 26 August 1931) was a Japanese politician, cabinet minister and Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931. Nicknamed the "Lion Prime Minister" (ライオン宰相, Raion Saishō) due to his dignified demeanor and mane-like hair,[1] Hamaguchi served as leading member of the liberal Rikken Minseitō (Constitutional Democratic Party) during the "Taishō democracy" of interwar Japan; he initially survived an assassination attempt by a right-wing extremist in 1930, but died about nine months later from a bacterial infection in his unhealed wounds.
Hamaguchi was born in Nagaoka District, Tosa Province (now part of Kōchi city, Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku). He was the third son of Minaguchi Tanehira, an official in the local forestry department, and took the Hamaguchi name on his marriage to Hamaguchi Natsuko in 1889. Hamaguchi graduated from the Law College of Tokyo Imperial University in 1895 and began his career as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Finance.[2] In 1907, he rose to the position of Director of the Monopoly Bureau. He became Vice Communications Minister in 1912 and Vice Finance Minister in 1914.
Political careerEdit
Osachi Hamaguchi, before 1931
Hamaguchi joined the Rikken Dōshikai political party led by Katō Takaaki in 1915, which became the Kenseikai in 1916. Hamaguchi was elected to the lower house in the Japanese Diet in 1915 from the Kōchi Second District, and was to hold onto this seat until his death in 1931.
In June 1924, Hamaguchi served as Finance Minister under the first Katō administration, holding the same portfolio under the 1st Wakatsuki administration from January to June 1926. As Finance Minister, he pursued fiscal retrenchment, and proposed reducing government spending by 17 percent and laying off tens of thousands of government workers; however, his policies had to be scaled considerably back due to strenuous opposition from government bureaucrats.[3]
Hamaguchi was subsequently Home Minister in the Wakatsuki cabinet from June 1926 to April 1927. In a continuation of his efforts while as Finance Minister, Hamaguchi promoted a moral campaign through sponsorship of movies which emphasized thrift and reduced public consumption, with the goal of helping reduce Japan's trade deficit.[4]
In 1927, Hamaguchi became the chairman of the new Rikken Minseitō political party formed by the merger of the Kenseikai and the Seiyūhontō.
The 1st Hamaguchi administrationEdit
Assassination attempt on Hamaguchi Osachi inside Tokyo Station, 14 November 1930
After the collapse of the administration of Tanaka Giichi in June 1929, Hamaguchi was selected to become Prime Minister of Japan and formed a cabinet based largely on Minseitō party members, which supported domestic economic reforms over overseas military adventurism.[5] With a strong sense of his own rectitude and a tough, stubborn temperament, Hamaguchi inspired trust, promising that he was "ready to die if necessary" for the good of the country during his inaugural speech and promising an administration free of corruption.
Hamaguchi's primary concern was the Japanese economy, which had been in an ever-increasing recession since the end of World War I, and had been greatly weakened by the devastation caused by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. Hamaguchi promoted retrenchment, deflation and the rationalization of industry. The 1929 Great Depression, starting soon after he took office, put further pressure on the economy.
Initial public confidence and strong support from Emperor Hirohito and his entourage, including the genrōSaionji Kinmochi allowed Hamaguchi to implement fiscal austerity measures, which included ratification of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which curtailed military spending. However, his measures to help stimulate exports, such as maintaining the Japanese yen on the gold standard, proved disastrous.
The failure of Hamaguchi's economic policies played into the hands of right-wing elements, already enraged by the government's conciliatory foreign policies and Japan's increasing unemployment problems. The opposition Rikken Seiyūkai joined forces with the vocal anti-Treaty faction within the Imperial Japanese Navy to accuse Hamaguchi of infringing of the military's "right of supreme command" as guaranteed under the Meiji Constitution.[6]
The spot at Tokyo Station where Osachi Hamaguchi was shotPlaque at Tokyo Station commemorating the shooting of Osachi Hamaguchi
Hamaguchi's initial popularity quickly waned, and he fell victim to an assassination attempt on 14 November 1930 when he was shot inside Tokyo Station by Tomeo Sagoya, a member of the Aikokusha ultranationalist secret society. (Nine years earlier another Prime Minister, Hara Takashi, had been assassinated near the same place.) The head of the Aikoku-sha was Seiyūkai politician Ogawa Heikichi.[7] The wounds kept Hamaguchi hospitalized for several months.
The 2nd Hamaguchi administrationEdit
Hamaguchi in diplomatic dress
Hamaguchi was reelected to a second term as Prime Minister of Japan in March 1931. However, with his health continuing to deteriorate, he was unable to attend the 59th Session of the Imperial Diet, which opened with Foreign Minister Kijūrō Shidehara as acting Prime Minister. The Seiyūkai immediately attacked the government on the grounds that the Prime Minister was not physically present, and that Shidehara was not even a member of the Minseitō. When Shidehara further created an uproar with a comment concerning Emperor Hirohito's support of the London Naval Treaty, the Seiyūkai refused to participate in budget deliberations until Hamaguchi could attend. Despite his failing health, Hamaguchi was forced to attend the Diet, but resigned a month later to be replaced by Wakatsuki Reijirō.[8] He died on 26 August of the same year, and his grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
Tomeo Sagoya was not tried for murder. Nevertheless, in 1932, he was sentenced to death for attempted murder, after the judge ruled that the bullet had caused Osachi's death. Yoshikatsu Matsuki was sentenced to 13 years in prison as an accomplice, while Ainosuke Iwata received a 4-month sentence. However, in 1934, Sagoya's death sentence was reduced to life in prison in a general amnesty. He was one of many people involved in politically motivated murders, including that of prime ministers, to have their sentences reduced. Sagoya was released from prison in 1940, and died in 1972. He continued to be involved in far-right activities until his death.[9]
In 1931 Hamaguchi's cabinet sponsored a bill on women's suffrage. It would have granted women over the age of 25 the right to vote in local elections and stand for office given their husbands' approval. The bill passed the lower house, but it was defeated in the House of Peers in March 1931 by a vote of 184 to 62.[10]
^"3-18 Shooting of Prime Minister HAMAGUCHI Osachi". Modern Japan in Archives. National Diet Library of Japan. 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
^"Amnesty of 1934". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1934-02-11. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
^Nolte, Sharon H. "Women's Rights and Society's Needs: Japan's 1931 Suffrage Bill," Comparative Studies in Society and History, October 1986, Vol. 28, No. 4, p. 690-714.
Metzler, Mark. Lever of Empire: The International Gold Standard and the Crisis of Liberalism in Prewar Japan. University of California Press (2006) ISBN0520244206
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Osachi Hamaguchi.
hamaguchi, osachi, this, japanese, name, surname, hamaguchi, kyūjitai, 濱口, 雄幸, shinjitai, 浜口, 雄幸, also, hamaguchi, yūkō, april, 1870, august, 1931, japanese, politician, cabinet, minister, prime, minister, japan, from, 1929, 1931, nicknamed, lion, prime, minis. In this Japanese name the surname is Hamaguchi Hamaguchi Osachi Kyujitai 濱口 雄幸 Shinjitai 浜口 雄幸 also Hamaguchi Yukō 1 April 1870 26 August 1931 was a Japanese politician cabinet minister and Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931 Nicknamed the Lion Prime Minister ライオン宰相 Raion Saishō due to his dignified demeanor and mane like hair 1 Hamaguchi served as leading member of the liberal Rikken Minseitō Constitutional Democratic Party during the Taishō democracy of interwar Japan he initially survived an assassination attempt by a right wing extremist in 1930 but died about nine months later from a bacterial infection in his unhealed wounds Hamaguchi Osachi濱口 雄幸Prime Minister of JapanIn office 10 March 1931 14 April 1931MonarchHirohitoPreceded byKijurō Shidehara acting Succeeded byWakatsuki ReijirōIn office 2 July 1929 14 November 1930MonarchHirohitoPreceded byTanaka GiichiSucceeded byKijurō Shidehara acting Member of the House of Representatives for Kochi 1st District Kochi 1919 1920 Kochi 2rd District 1920 1928 In office 26 March 1919 26 August 1931Member of the House of Representatives for Kochi CityIn office 25 March 1915 25 January 1917Personal detailsBorn 1870 04 01 1 April 1870Kōchi JapanDied26 August 1931 1931 08 26 aged 61 Tokyo JapanCause of deathGunshot woundResting placeAoyama Cemetery Tokyo JapanPolitical partyRikken Minseitō 1927 1931 Other politicalaffiliationsRikken Dōshikai until 1916 Kenseikai 1916 1931 SpouseNatsuko HamaguchiAlma materTokyo Imperial UniversitySignatureAdachi Kenzō Osachi Hamaguchi Toshio Shimada Baron Kato Kataoka Naoharu and Ema Koigumi in 1916 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Political career 3 The 1st Hamaguchi administration 4 The 2nd Hamaguchi administration 5 Honours 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and career EditHamaguchi was born in Nagaoka District Tosa Province now part of Kōchi city Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku He was the third son of Minaguchi Tanehira an official in the local forestry department and took the Hamaguchi name on his marriage to Hamaguchi Natsuko in 1889 Hamaguchi graduated from the Law College of Tokyo Imperial University in 1895 and began his career as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Finance 2 In 1907 he rose to the position of Director of the Monopoly Bureau He became Vice Communications Minister in 1912 and Vice Finance Minister in 1914 Political career Edit nbsp Osachi Hamaguchi before 1931Hamaguchi joined the Rikken Dōshikai political party led by Katō Takaaki in 1915 which became the Kenseikai in 1916 Hamaguchi was elected to the lower house in the Japanese Diet in 1915 from the Kōchi Second District and was to hold onto this seat until his death in 1931 In June 1924 Hamaguchi served as Finance Minister under the first Katō administration holding the same portfolio under the 1st Wakatsuki administration from January to June 1926 As Finance Minister he pursued fiscal retrenchment and proposed reducing government spending by 17 percent and laying off tens of thousands of government workers however his policies had to be scaled considerably back due to strenuous opposition from government bureaucrats 3 Hamaguchi was subsequently Home Minister in the Wakatsuki cabinet from June 1926 to April 1927 In a continuation of his efforts while as Finance Minister Hamaguchi promoted a moral campaign through sponsorship of movies which emphasized thrift and reduced public consumption with the goal of helping reduce Japan s trade deficit 4 In 1927 Hamaguchi became the chairman of the new Rikken Minseitō political party formed by the merger of the Kenseikai and the Seiyuhontō The 1st Hamaguchi administration Edit nbsp Assassination attempt on Hamaguchi Osachi inside Tokyo Station 14 November 1930After the collapse of the administration of Tanaka Giichi in June 1929 Hamaguchi was selected to become Prime Minister of Japan and formed a cabinet based largely on Minseitō party members which supported domestic economic reforms over overseas military adventurism 5 With a strong sense of his own rectitude and a tough stubborn temperament Hamaguchi inspired trust promising that he was ready to die if necessary for the good of the country during his inaugural speech and promising an administration free of corruption Hamaguchi s primary concern was the Japanese economy which had been in an ever increasing recession since the end of World War I and had been greatly weakened by the devastation caused by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake Hamaguchi promoted retrenchment deflation and the rationalization of industry The 1929 Great Depression starting soon after he took office put further pressure on the economy Initial public confidence and strong support from Emperor Hirohito and his entourage including the genrō Saionji Kinmochi allowed Hamaguchi to implement fiscal austerity measures which included ratification of the London Naval Treaty of 1930 which curtailed military spending However his measures to help stimulate exports such as maintaining the Japanese yen on the gold standard proved disastrous The failure of Hamaguchi s economic policies played into the hands of right wing elements already enraged by the government s conciliatory foreign policies and Japan s increasing unemployment problems The opposition Rikken Seiyukai joined forces with the vocal anti Treaty faction within the Imperial Japanese Navy to accuse Hamaguchi of infringing of the military s right of supreme command as guaranteed under the Meiji Constitution 6 nbsp The spot at Tokyo Station where Osachi Hamaguchi was shot nbsp Plaque at Tokyo Station commemorating the shooting of Osachi HamaguchiHamaguchi s initial popularity quickly waned and he fell victim to an assassination attempt on 14 November 1930 when he was shot inside Tokyo Station by Tomeo Sagoya a member of the Aikokusha ultranationalist secret society Nine years earlier another Prime Minister Hara Takashi had been assassinated near the same place The head of the Aikoku sha was Seiyukai politician Ogawa Heikichi 7 The wounds kept Hamaguchi hospitalized for several months The 2nd Hamaguchi administration Edit nbsp Hamaguchi in diplomatic dressHamaguchi was reelected to a second term as Prime Minister of Japan in March 1931 However with his health continuing to deteriorate he was unable to attend the 59th Session of the Imperial Diet which opened with Foreign Minister Kijurō Shidehara as acting Prime Minister The Seiyukai immediately attacked the government on the grounds that the Prime Minister was not physically present and that Shidehara was not even a member of the Minseitō When Shidehara further created an uproar with a comment concerning Emperor Hirohito s support of the London Naval Treaty the Seiyukai refused to participate in budget deliberations until Hamaguchi could attend Despite his failing health Hamaguchi was forced to attend the Diet but resigned a month later to be replaced by Wakatsuki Reijirō 8 He died on 26 August of the same year and his grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo Tomeo Sagoya was not tried for murder Nevertheless in 1932 he was sentenced to death for attempted murder after the judge ruled that the bullet had caused Osachi s death Yoshikatsu Matsuki was sentenced to 13 years in prison as an accomplice while Ainosuke Iwata received a 4 month sentence However in 1934 Sagoya s death sentence was reduced to life in prison in a general amnesty He was one of many people involved in politically motivated murders including that of prime ministers to have their sentences reduced Sagoya was released from prison in 1940 and died in 1972 He continued to be involved in far right activities until his death 9 In 1931 Hamaguchi s cabinet sponsored a bill on women s suffrage It would have granted women over the age of 25 the right to vote in local elections and stand for office given their husbands approval The bill passed the lower house but it was defeated in the House of Peers in March 1931 by a vote of 184 to 62 10 Honours EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure July 1926 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun April 1927 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers April 1931 Notes Edit Hotta page 99 Jansen The Making of Modern Japan Page 510 Lever of Empire p 155 Metzler page 155 Hirohito p 208 209 Bix Page 210 Bix Page 211 212 3 18 Shooting of Prime Minister HAMAGUCHI Osachi Modern Japan in Archives National Diet Library of Japan 2006 Retrieved 12 January 2013 Amnesty of 1934 The Cincinnati Enquirer 1934 02 11 p 18 Retrieved 2023 07 21 Nolte Sharon H Women s Rights and Society s Needs Japan s 1931 Suffrage Bill Comparative Studies in Society and History October 1986 Vol 28 No 4 p 690 714 References EditBix Herbert P 2000 Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan New York HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 06 019314 0 OCLC 247018161 Buruma Ian Inventing Japan 1853 1964 Modern Library Reprint edition 2004 ISBN 0 8129 7286 4 Hotta Eri Japan 1941 Countdown to Infamy Vintage Reprint edition 2014 ISBN 978 0307739742 Jansen Marius B 2000 The Making of Modern Japan Cambridge Harvard University Press ISBN 9780674003347 OCLC 44090600 Metzler Mark Lever of Empire The International Gold Standard and the Crisis of Liberalism in Prewar Japan University of California Press 2006 ISBN 0520244206External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Osachi Hamaguchi Newspaper clippings about Hamaguchi Osachi in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBWPolitical officesPreceded byKijurō Shidehara acting Prime Minister of Japan10 March 1931 14 April 1931 Succeeded byWakatsuki ReijirōPreceded byTanaka Giichi Prime Minister of Japan2 July 1929 14 November 1930 Succeeded byKijurō Shidehara acting Preceded byWakatsuki Reijirō Home Minister3 June 1926 20 April 1927 Succeeded bySuzuki KisaburōPreceded byKazue Shōda Finance Minister30 January 1926 20 April 1927 Succeeded bySeiji Hamaya Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hamaguchi Osachi amp oldid 1167113420, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
