Koizumi Matajirō | |
|---|---|
小泉 又次郎 | |
 Koizumi in 1930 | |
| Minister of Communications | |
| In office 2 July 1929 – 13 December 1931 | |
| Prime Minister | Hamaguchi Osachi Wakatsuki Reijirō |
| Preceded by | Fusanosuke Kuhara |
| Succeeded by | Chūzō Mitsuchi |
| Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 26 June 1924 – 25 March 1927 | |
| Speaker | Kasuya Gizo |
| Preceded by | Genji Matsuda |
| Succeeded by | Matsūra Gohē |
| Member of theHouse of Peers | |
| In office 19 December 1945 – 13 March 1946 Nominated by theEmperor | |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 16 May 1908 – 18 December 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Katsushichi Takahashi |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | Kanagawa Counties (1908–1920) Single-member Kanagawa 2nd (1920–1928) Multi-member Kanagawa 2nd (1928–1945) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1865-06-10)10 June 1865 |
| Died | 24 September 1951(1951-09-24) (aged 86) |
| Party | Imperial Rule Assistance Association |
| Other political affiliations | Yūshinkai (1908–1910) Rikken Kokumintō (1910–1913) Rikken Dōshikai (1913–1916) Kenseikai (1916–1927) Rikken Minseitō (1927–1937) |
| Relatives | Koizumi family |
Koizumi Matajirō (小泉 又次郎; 10 June 1865 – 24 September 1951) was aJapanese politician and cabinet minister in theTaishō period and earlyShōwa periodJapan. He was the grandfather ofJunichiro Koizumi, who served as thePrime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He was the great-grandfather of theMinister of Defense of JapanShinjirou Koizumi
Koizumi was born in Mutsuura,Musashi Province (part of present-dayKanazawa-ku, Yokohama)[1] to Koizumi Yoshibe, ascaffolder, and his wife Yuki. He moved to nearbyYokosuka, Kanagawa with his parents, where his father worked as a procurer ofday laborers, carpenters,steeplejacks and materials for theYokosuka Naval Arsenal. The young Koizumi grew up in a rough environment. In 1878, after graduating from the predecessor of Yokosuka Elementary School, he tried to enlist in a preparatory school forImperial Japanese Navy officer candidates, but was returned home when it was discovered he was underage and did not have his father’s permission. He attempted the same again in 1880 to a preparatory school for theImperial Japanese Army. On the death of his elder brother, he was forced to inherit his father’s business and around this time obtained a largetattoo of a red dragon which covered most of his back and upper arms, and was addressed as “boss” by his fellow steeplejacks.[2] He also became a member of theRikken Kaishintō in 1887 and around this time married Ayabe Nao, a 30-year-oldgeisha. In 1907, Koizumi fathered his only child, Yoshie, with Ishikawa Hatsu, one of his mistresses. Koizumi’s daughter gave birth in 1942 to a son,Junichirō, who later becamePrime Minister.
In 1889, Koizumi became a reporter for theMainichi Shimbun, and in 1903 was elected to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. Vocal in support of ultranationalist causes, he participated in theHibiya Incendiary Incident in protest of theTreaty of Portsmouth in 1905. In 1907, Koizumi was elected to the Yokosuka city assembly, and in the1908 General Election successfully ran for a seat in thelower house of theDiet of Japan. He was reelected 12 consecutive times, holding his seat of 38 years until the end ofWorld War II.[1] He rose to the post of secretary-general of theKenseikai and was a leader in the movement towards universalsuffrage, leading mass rallies in Tokyo.[3] In 1924, he became Vice-Chairman of the House and also served as secretary-general of theRikken Minseitō from 1928-1929 and 1937-1938.
In 1929, Koizumi was appointedCommunications Minister in theHamaguchi Cabinet and theSecond Wakatsuki Cabinet.[4] During this time, he was nicknamed the "wild man" or "irezumi minister", from his flamboyant speeches. As minister, he unsuccessfully sought toprivatize theJapanese postal system.[citation needed]
In 1942, Koizumi became mayor of Yokosuka. In 1937, he joined theImperial Rule Assistance Association and was appointed deputy chairman of theImperial Rule Assistance Political Association. In 1944, he was an advisor to Prime MinisterKuniaki Koiso.[1] He was selected to be a member of theHouse of Peers, but in 1946, under theoccupation of Japan, he waspurged from public office. He died in 1951.
Koizumi's son-in-law,Jun'ya Koizumi, became a director general of theJapan Defense Agency and a second-generation member of the Diet of Japan. Koizumi's grandson,Jun'ichirō Koizumi, served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006 and inherited his grandfather's idea of postal privatization; Jun'ichirō had himself beenMinister of Posts and Telecommunications in 1992-93 under Prime MinisterKiichi Miyazawa.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Communications 2 July 1929 – 13 December 1931 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
