Baron , was a Japanese politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1926 to 1927, and again in 1931.
Wakatsuki Reijirà Â, né Okumura, was born on 21 March 1866, in Matsue, Izumo Province (present day Shimane Prefecture), the second son of ashigaru Okumura Sensaburà  and his wife Kura. The family was of the samurai status, but was of the lowest class and very poor, so they worked side jobs to support themselves. When Reijirà  was three years old, his mother died. As the father and the eldest brother were ordered to work in Yamazaki, Kyoto by the Matsue Domain, the responsibilities of the house fell onto Reijirà Â's 11-year-old elder sister Iwa who took care of the three-year-old Reijirà  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 Reijirà  was born, his father had just constructed a small house in Nishitanaka.
At the time, samurai were required to wear their katana (typically two), and Reijirà  commuted to temple school wearing only one wooden sword on his hip. After graduating from elementary school, he entered a Chinese 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.
At the age of 16, he began working as an elementary school substitute teacher. In 1883, he decided to enter the Imperial 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 in Tokyo, and the travel fees were not covered. He consulted his uncle, Wakatsuki Kei, who was the head of Nogi District, and was able to borrow 30 yen from him. In 1884, Reijirà  left Matsue at the age of 19.
Since Kei had no male heir, Reijirà  was adopted by him, took the surname Wakatsuki, and married his daughter Tokuko. Wakatsuki Reijirà  enrolled in the Tokyo Imperial University in 1892 and studied law.
After graduation, Wakatsuki worked in the Ministry of Finance as tax bureau director and later as vice-minister. In 1911, he was appointed to the House of Peers. He then served as Minister of Finance under the 3rd Katsura administration and 2nd à Âkuma administration in the early 1910s and became a leading member of the Rikken Dà Âshikai political party, and its successor the Kenseikai, in 1914.
In June 1924, Wakatsuki was named Home Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Katà  Takaaki, and worked to enact the Universal Manhood Suffrage Law and the Peace Preservation Law in 1925.
On 30 January 1926, on Katà Â's unexpected death in office, Wakatsuki took over as Prime Minister of Japan. His first term lasted to 20 April 1927 when he was forced to resign during the Shà Âwa financial crisis.
Wakatsuki remained physically active in his senior years, enjoying jiu-jitsu, archery, fishing, and sailing. During a sailing excursion as prime minister, with two bodyguards and his secretary, Wakatsuki's sampan 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.
Wakatsuki was awarded the Order of the Paulownia Flowers on November 10, 1928. After serving as chief delegate plenipotentiary to the London Naval Conference 1930, Wakatsuki pushed strongly for speedy ratification of the disarmament treaty, thus earning the wrath of the Japanese military and various ultranationalist groups.
After Prime Minister Hamaguchi was forced out of office by the severe injuries incurred in an assassination attempt, Wakatsuki assumed the leadership of the Rikken Minseità Â, the successor to the Kenseikai. He was elevated to the rank of baron (danshaku) in the kazoku 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 the Manchurian 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 the Rikken Minseità  in July 1934. Despite the growing militarism in Japanese society, he continued to oppose the Second Sino-Japanese War, and was adamantly opposed to extending the war to include the United States and other western powers. Even after the declaration of hostilities in World War II, he publicly stated the war should end as quickly as possible. In May 1945, on hearing of the collapse of Nazi Germany, he emerged from retirement to urge Prime Minister Kantarà  Suzuki to open negotiations with the United States as soon as possible. In August, he participated in the government panel recommending unconditional acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration.
After the surrender of Japan, Wakatsuki was subpoenaed by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in June 1946 as a prosecution witness at The International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Wakatsuki died of Angina pectoris at his summer home in Ità Â, Shizuoka on November 20, 1949. His grave is at the Somei Cemetery in downtown Tokyo.
From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
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