Kijūrō Shidehara | |
---|---|
幣原 喜重郎 | |
44th Prime Minister of Japan | |
In office 9 October 1945 – 22 May 1946 |
|
Monarch | Shōwa |
Governor | Douglas MacArthur |
Preceded by | Naruhiko Higashikuni |
Succeeded by | Shigeru Yoshida |
In office 14 November 1930 – 10 March 1931 Acting |
|
Monarch | Shōwa |
Preceded by | Osachi Hamaguchi |
Succeeded by | Osachi Hamaguchi |
Personal details | |
Born |
Kadoma, Japan |
13 September 1872
Died | 10 March 1951 Tokyo, Japan |
(aged 78)
Political party | Independent |
Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University |
Baron Kijūrō Shidehara (幣原 喜重郎 Shidehara Kijūrō?, 13 September 1872 – 10 March 1951) was a prominent pre–World War II Japanese diplomat and the 44th Prime Minister of Japan from 9 October 1945 to 22 May 1946. He was a leading proponent of pacifism in Japan before and after World War II, and was also the last Japanese prime minister who was a member of the kazoku. His wife, Masako, was the fourth daughter of Iwasaki Yatarō, founder of the Mitsubishi zaibatsu.
Shidehara was born in Kadoma, Osaka. His brother Taira was the first president of Taihoku Imperial University. Shidehara attended Tokyo Imperial University, and graduated from the Faculty of Law, where he had studied under Hozumi Nobushige. After graduation, he found a position within the Foreign Ministry and was sent as a consul to Chemulpo in Korea in 1896.
He subsequently served in the Japanese embassy in London, Antwerp, and Washington D.C. and as ambassador to the Netherlands, returning to Japan in 1915.