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Wakatsuki Reijirō | |
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若槻 礼次郎 | |
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| Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 14 April 1931 – 13 December 1931 | |
| Monarch | Hirohito |
| Preceded by | Hamaguchi Osachi |
| Succeeded by | Inukai Tsuyoshi |
| In office 30 January 1926 – 20 April 1927 Acting: 28 January 1926 – 30 January 1926 | |
| Monarchs | Taishō Hirohito |
| Regent | Hirohito |
| Preceded by | Katō Takaaki |
| Succeeded by | Tanaka Giichi |
| Minister of Colonial Affairs | |
| In office 10 September 1931 – 13 December 1931 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Shūjirō Hara |
| Succeeded by | Toyosuke Hata |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 11 June 1924 – 3 June 1926 | |
| Prime Minister | Katō Takaaki Himself |
| Preceded by | Mizuno Rentarō |
| Succeeded by | Hamaguchi Osachi |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 16 April 1914 – 10 August 1915 | |
| Prime Minister | Ōkuma Shigenobu |
| Preceded by | Takahashi Korekiyo |
| Succeeded by | Taketomi Tokitoshi |
| In office 21 December 1912 – 20 February 1913 | |
| Prime Minister | Katsura Tarō |
| Preceded by | Yamamoto Tatsuo |
| Succeeded by | Takahashi Korekiyo |
| Member of theHouse of Peers | |
| In office 24 August 1911 – 2 May 1947 Nominated by theEmperor | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1866-03-21)21 March 1866 |
| Died | 20 November 1949(1949-11-20) (aged 83) |
| Resting place | Somei Cemetery,Tokyo |
| Political party | Rikken Minseitō (1927–1940) |
| Other political affiliations | Rikken Dōshikai (1913–1916) Kenseikai (1916–1927) |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University |
| Signature |  |
BaronWakatsuki Reijirō (若槻 禮次郎; 21 March 1866 – 20 November 1949) was a Japanese politician who twice served asPrime Minister of Japan from 1926 to 1927, and again in 1931.
Wakatsuki Reijirō was born on 21 March 1866, inMatsue,Izumo Province (present dayShimane Prefecture), the second son ofsamurai foot soldier Okumura Sensaburō and his wife Kura. Though the family was of the samurai warrior nobility, they were very poor, and worked side jobs to support themselves. When Reijirō was three years old, his mother died. As the father and the eldest brother were ordered to work inYamazaki, Kyoto by theMatsue Domain, the responsibilities of the house fell onto Reijirō's 11-year-old elder sister Iwa who took care of the three-year-old Reijirō while having a side job. The Okumura family were low-ranking, and the family could not have a residence near the center of Sakaimachi. For this reason, the family lived in a rented house on the outskirts of the town, but by the time Reijirō was born, his father had just constructed a small house in Nishitanaka.[1]
At the time, samurai were required to wear theirkatana (typically two), and Reijirō commuted totemple school wearing only one wooden sword on his hip. After graduating from elementary school, he entered aChinese literary school, but quit the following year entering a middle school in Matsue. However, he was forced to quit middle school in just eight months because his family could not afford the tuition fees. After quitting school, he collected firewood in the mountains and helped with house chores.[2]
At the age of 16, he began working as an elementary schoolsubstitute teacher. In 1883, he decided to enter theImperial Japanese Army Academy as the tuition fees were government expensed, but failed the physical examination. The next year, he heard about student recruitment by the Law School of the Ministry of Justice, which also had its tuition fees covered by the government. However, the examination took place inTokyo, and the travel fees were not covered. He consulted his uncle, who was the head ofNogi District, and was able to borrow 30yen from him. In 1884, Reijirō left Matsue at the age of 19.[2]
Reijirō adopted the surname Wakatsuki after marrying into the family of his wife, since that family had no male heir. He enrolled in theTokyo Imperial University in 1892 and studied law.
 Wakatsuki in 1926 | |
| Premiership of Wakatsuki Reijirō | |
| Monarchs | |
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| Party |
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| Seat | Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei |
First term 28 January 1926 – 20 April 1927 | |
| Cabinet | First Wakatsuki Cabinet |
Second term 14 April 1931 – 13 December 1931 | |
| Cabinet | Second Wakatsuki Cabinet |
← Kijūrō Shidehara (acting) | |
 Emblem of the Government of Japan | |
After graduation, Wakatsuki worked in theMinistry of Finance as tax bureau director and later as vice-minister. In 1911 he was appointed to theHouse of Peers. He then served as Minister of Finance under the 3rdKatsura administration and 2ndŌkuma administration in the early 1910s and became a leading member of theRikken Dōshikai political party, and its successor theKenseikai, in 1914.
In June 1924, Wakatsuki was namedHome Minister in the cabinet of Prime MinisterKatō Takaaki, and worked to enact theUniversal Manhood Suffrage Law and thePeace Preservation Law in 1925.
On 30 January 1926, on Katō's unexpected death in office, Wakatsuki took over asPrime Minister of Japan. His first term lasted to 20 April 1927 when he was forced to resign during theShōwa financial crisis.
Wakatsuki remained physically active in his senior years, enjoyingjiu-jitsu,archery,fishing, andsailing. During a sailing excursion as prime minister with twobodyguards and his secretary, Wakatsuki'ssampan struck a log and overturned. The bodyguards could not swim so the 60-year-old Wakatsuki and his secretary kept the group afloat until another boat arrived to assist them.[3]
Wakatsuki was awarded theOrder of the Paulownia Flowers on November 10, 1928. After serving as chief delegate plenipotentiary to theLondon Naval Conference 1930, Wakatsuki pushed strongly for speedy ratification of the disarmament treaty, thus earning the wrath of theJapanese military and variousultranationalist groups.
After Prime MinisterHamaguchi was forced out of office by the severe injuries incurred in an assassination attempt, Wakatsuki assumed the leadership of theRikken Minseitō, the successor to theKenseikai. He was elevated to the rank ofbaron (danshaku) in thekazoku peerage system in April 1931. Wakatsuki once again became Prime Minister from 14 April 1931 to 13 December 1931. During Wakatsuki's second term, he failed to control the Imperial Japanese Army. He was unable either to prevent theManchurian Incident from occurring, or to rein in the Army from further escalation of hostilities in China afterwards.
After his retirement as Prime Minister, Wakatsuki became president of theRikken Minseitō in July 1934. Despite the growing militarism in Japanese society, he continued to oppose theSecond Sino-Japanese War, and was adamantly opposed to extending the war to include theUnited States and otherwestern powers. Even after the declaration of hostilities inWorld War II, he publicly stated the war should end as quickly as possible. In May 1945, on hearing of the collapse ofNazi Germany, he emerged from retirement to urge Prime MinisterKantarō Suzuki to open negotiations with the United States as soon as possible. In August, he participated in the government panel recommending unconditional acceptance of thePotsdam Declaration.
After thesurrender of Japan, Wakatsuki was subpoenaed by theSupreme Commander of the Allied Powers in June 1946 as a prosecution witness atThe International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Wakatsuki died ofAngina pectoris at his summer home inItō, Shizuoka on November 20, 1949. His grave is at theSomei Cemetery in downtown Tokyo.
From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Japan 30 January 1926 – 20 April 1927 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Japan(acting) 28 January 1931 – 30 January 1931 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home Minister 11 June 1924 – 3 January 1926 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 21 December 1912 – 20 February 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 16 April 1914 – 10 August 1915 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Colonial Affairs(acting) 10 September 1931 – 13 December 1931 | Succeeded by |
| Empire of Japan (1868–1947) |
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| Japan (1947–present) |
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