Inukai Tsuyoshi
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| Inukai Tsuyoshi | |
 Prime Minister of Japan |
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| In office 13 December 1931 – 15 May 1932 |
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| Preceded by | Wakatsuki Reijiro |
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| Succeeded by | Saito Makoto |
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| Born | 20 April 1855 Okayama, Bizen Province, Japan |
| Died | 15 May 1932 Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Rikken Seiyukai |
| Occupation | Cabinet Minister |
- This is a Japanese name; the family name is Inukai.
Inukai Tsuyoshi (犬養 毅 Inukai Tsuyoshi?), (20 April 1855–15 May 1932) was a Japanese politician and the 29th Prime Minister of Japan from 13 December 1931 to 15 May 1932.
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[edit] Early life
Inukai was born to a samurai family in Niwase village, Bizen Province (present-day Okayama city, Okayama Prefecture), and was a graduate of Keio Gijuku (subsequently Keio University) in Tokyo. In his early career, he worked as a journalist. He went with the Imperial Japanese Army to the front during the Satsuma Rebellion as a reporter.
[edit] Political career
Inukai helped form the Rikken Kaishinto political party in 1882, which supported liberal political causes, and strongly opposed the domination of the government by members of the former Chōshū and Satsuma domains (hanbatsu). He was first elected to the Lower House of the Imperial Diet in 1890, and was subsequently reelected 17 times.
His first cabinet post was as Minister of Education in the first Okuma Shigenobu administration of 1898, and as Minister of Posts and Communications in the second Yamagata Aritomo administration.
He was a leading figure in the Shimpoto, the Kenseito and the Rikken Kokuminto, which eventually toppled the government of Katsura Taro in 1913.
In 1922, the Rikken Kokuminto became the Kakushin Kurabu, which joined forces with other minor parties to form the cabinet during the premiership of Kato Takaaki in 1924. During his time, Inukai served on the cabinet again as Minister of Posts and Communications. The Kakushin Kurabu then became the Rikken Seiyūkai, and Inukai continued as a senior member. In 1929, with the death of Tanaka Giichi, Inukai became president of the Rikken Seiyūkai.
[edit] As Prime Minister
Inukai became the 29th Prime Minister of Japan in 1931. At the time, Japan was in a serious economic situation due to the effects of the Great Depression of 1929, and its untimely return to the gold standard. Inukai's government immediately
took steps to inflate the economy and to place an embargo on gold exports. However, Inukai was unable to impose fiscal restraint on the military, nor was he able to control the military’s designs on China after the Manchurian Incident. Inukai's struggle against the military led to his assassination during the May 15 Incident of 1932, which effectively marked the end of civilian political control over government decisions until after World War II.
Inukai's third son was writer, politician and post-war Minister of Justice Inukai Takeru.
[edit] References
- Bix, Herbert B. Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. Harper Perennial (2001). ISBN: 0060931302
- Brendon, Piers. The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s. Vintage; Reprint edition (2002). ISBN: 0375708081
- Oka Yoshitake, et al. Five Political Leaders of Modern Japan: Ito Hirobumi, Okuma Shigenobu, Hara Takashi, Inukai Tsuyoshi, and Saionji Kimmochi. University of Tokyo Press (1984). ISBN: 0860083799
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Wakatsuki Reijiro |
Prime Minister of Japan 1931–1932 |
Succeeded by Saito Makoto |
| Prime Ministers of Japan |  |
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| Itō · Kuroda · Yamagata · Matsukata · Itō (2nd) · Matsukata (2nd) · Itō (3rd) · Okuma · Yamagata (2nd) · Itō (4th) · Katsura · Saionji · Katsura (2nd) · Saionji (2nd) · Katsura (3rd) · Yamamoto · Okuma (2nd) · Terauchi · Hara · Takahashi · To. Kato · Yamamoto (2nd) · Kiyoura · Ta. Kato · Wakatsuki · G. Tanaka · Hamaguchi · Wakatsuki (2nd) · Inukai · Saitō · Okada · Hirota · Hayashi · Konoe · Hiranuma · N. Abe · Yonai · Konoe (2nd) · Tojo · Koiso · K. Suzuki · Prince Higashikuni · Shidehara · Yoshida · Katayama · Ashida · Yoshida (2nd) · Hatoyama · Ishibashi · Kishi · Ikeda · Sato · K. Tanaka · Miki · Fukuda · Ohira · Z. Suzuki · Nakasone · Takeshita · Uno · Kaifu · Miyazawa · Hosokawa · Hata · Murayama · Hashimoto · Obuchi · Mori · Koizumi · S. Abe | ||
