was the Mayor of

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan, between 1923 and 1935.

Early life

Seki was born on the

Izu Peninsula The is a large mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The peninsul ...

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

on September 26, 1873. He graduated from the Koto Shogyo Gakko, now

Hitotsubashi University is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda. One of the top 9 Designated National University in Japan, Hitotsubashi is a relatively small institution specialized solely in social sciences ...

, in 1893, and worked in the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

until he became a professor at his ''alma mater'' in 1897. The following year, he left for Europe, where he spent three years studying in Belgium. In 1910, he obtained the title of Doctor of Juridical Science.

Mayor of Osaka

He became the

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

of Osaka in 1914 before serving as Mayor from 1923 to 1935. He was instrumental in both the development of social capital, including the construction of ports and railways, and the implementation of urban social policy, including the establishment of public markets, the construction of city-provided housing and the establishment of the

Osaka University of Commerce , abbreviated to , is a private university located in Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. History The origin was founded in 1928 as Osaka Joto School of Commerce (大阪城東商業学校) by Noboru Tanioka (谷岡登, 1894–1 ...

. He is most famous for overseeing the widening of the Midosuji, the avenue that stretches through the heart of Osaka. and the construction of the Osaka Subway Midosuji Line, which runs under the avenue. Hajime Seki died of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

on January 26, 1935, one year after he had been appointed to the House of Peers. He was 61.

References

External links

* http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/520.html?cat=94 * http://repository.brynmawr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=cities_pubs {{Authority control 1873 births 1935 deaths Mayors of Osaka Japanese politicians Hitotsubashi University alumni People from Shizuoka Prefecture