Takeru Inukai

Takeru Inukai
犬養 健
Inukai Takeru in 1932
Minister of Justice
In office 30 October 1952 – 22 April 1954
Preceded by	Yadanji Nakajima
Succeeded by	Ryūtarō Hashimoto
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 21 February 1930 – 28 August 1960
Preceded by	Yadanji Nakajima
Succeeded by	Ryūtarō Hashimoto
Constituency	Okayama 2nd
Personal details
Born	(1896-07-28)28 July 1896 Tokyo, Japan
Died	28 August 1960(1960-08-28) (aged 64) Tokyo, Japan
Resting place	Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo
Nationality	Japanese
Alma mater	Tokyo Imperial University
Occupation	Writer (novels, stage plays)

Takeru Inukai (犬養 健, Inukai Takeru, 28 July 1896 – 28 August 1960) was a Japanese politician and novelist active in Shōwa period Japan. Also known as "Inukai Ken", he was the third son of Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi.

Biography[]

Inukai was born in the Ushigome district of Tokyo. Although accepted into the Tokyo Imperial University’s School of Philosophy, he left without graduation. Interested in literature from his student days, he gravitated to the Shirakaba ("White Birch") literary society due to its liberal humanistic outlook. His works were influenced by Mushanokōji Saneatsu and Nagayo Yoshirō, and he became a member of the Japanese chapter of the International PEN.

He ran for a seat from the Tokyo 2nd District in the lower house of the Japanese Diet, under the Rikken Seiyūkai party in the 1930 General Election, and was elected twelve times holding a seat until his death in August 1960. Inukai was a press secretary under the first Konoe Fumimaro administration. He split with the Rikken Seiyūkai in 1939, joining a neutral faction led by Tsuneo Kanemitsu. He was held for questioning by the police in the Sorge Spy Incident.

As his father, Inukai Tsuyoshi, had always supported friendly relations with China, Inukai had contacts and good relations with Chinese politicians during the pre-war period. After his father's assassination in the May 15 Incident, he continued to strive for restoration of good Sino-Japanese relations, and especially provided support to the Wang Jingwei government in hopes that it would bring the stability that would allow Japan to withdraw its troops from the China quagmire. Thus throughout 1938 until the formation of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China in 1940, he negotiated with Gao Zongwu and Mei Siping to first come to a peace agreement with Chiang Kai-shek, and after failing that, to organize the defection of Wang Jingwei.

During the 1942 General Election, Inukai was reelected as an independent candidate opposing the Taisei Yokusankai.

After World War II in 1945, Inukai helped organize the Japan Progressive Party, of which he became chairman. The party merged with the Democratic Party, one of the forerunner of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1948. In 1952, under the 4th Yoshida Shigeru cabinet, Inukai became Minister of Justice. He continued in the same position in the 5th Yoshida cabinet in 1953. However, in the (under pressure from Prime Minister Yoshida), Inukai refused to approve of the prosecution of future prime minister Satō Eisaku, who had been indicted for corruption and misuse of public funds. Afterwards, he resigned as Justice Minister in protest.

Inukai died in 1960 at the age of 64, and his grave is located at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.^[1] His son, Inukai Yasuhiko (b. 1928) was president of Kyodo News.

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Takeru Inukai.

• Hoshii, Iwao. Japan's Pseudo-democracy. Routledge. (1993). ISBN 1873410077
• Mitchell, Richard H. Political bribery in Japan. University of Hawaii Press (1996) ISBN 0824818199
• Stockwin. J.A.A. Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Japan. Taylor & Francis. (2003). ISBN 0203402170

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