Shōzō Murata
| Shōzō Murata 村田 省蔵 |
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|---|---|
Shōzō Murata in 1953
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| Born |
September 6, 1878 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | March 15, 1957 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | entrepreneur, diplomat, cabinet minister |
Shōzō Murata (村田 省蔵 Murata Shōzō?, 6 September 1878 - 15 March 1957) was a Japanese entrepreneur, cabinet minister and diplomat before, during and after World War II.
Murata was a native of Tokyo and a graduate of the Tokyo Higher Commerce School (now Hitotsubashi University). After graduation, he went to work with the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (currently Mitsui O.S.K. Lines), and transformed the relatively small company into a major shipping company. He was sent to the company’s branch in Shanghai in 1901 at the age of 24. and eventually rose to the position of company president from 1934-1940. In 1937, in response to increasing demands from the Japanese military for resources from the Japanese merchant fleet, Murata organized an Autonomous Shipping Control Group (海運自治連盟 Kaiun Jichi Renmei?), of which he served as chairman, to reduce competition and coordinate efforts between the seven largest shipping companies and the government.
In 1939, Murata was appointed to the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan. Murata was representative of successful private entrepreneurs who were invited to join the Taisei Yokusankai political organization created by Fumimaro Konoe and his followers, and took active participation in debate on the state socialist controlled economy created under the National Mobilization Law.
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