Hirokichi Nadao ( ja, 灘尾弘吉; 21 December 1899 – 22 January 1994) was a Japanese politician. Throughout his career, he served as Minister of Education multiple times, Speaker of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Governor of

Oita Prefecture Oita often refers to: *Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan *Ōita (city), the capital of the prefecture Oita or Ōita may also refer to: Places *Ōita District, Ōita, a former district in Ōita Prefecture, Japan *Ōita Stadium, a multi-use stadium ...

. Nadao was known for his hawkish attitudes. He held an aggressive stance towards '' Nikkyoso'', the teachers' union of Japan, and unions in general (represented by ''

Sōhyō The , often abbreviated to , was a left-leaning union confederation. Founded in 1950, it was the largest labor federation in Japan for several decades. Origins In the immediate aftermath of Japan's defeat in World War II, the United States-led All ...

''). He was also one of the main people behind Prime Minister

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1972. He is the third-longest serving Prime Minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as Prime Minister. Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a membe ...

's foreign policy. In the mid-1970s, he was regarded as one of the most powerful men in Japan.

Career

Nadao was born in

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

in 1899. He graduated with a degree in jurisprudence from

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

and joined the

Home Ministry An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

, rising to the position of Vice Minister pre-war. During the war, he served as Governor of

. After the war, Nadao became one of the main people who pushed through the 1954 Police Law (as Minister of Health and Welfare at the time). He was also a member of the "Taiwan faction" of Japanese politics, influencing the foreign policy of Prime Minister

. He served as the chairman of the Diet Members' Talkfest on Japan-China Relations, visiting Taipei with a delegation to meet with

Chiang Kai-Shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

in 1959 (the first time any Japanese politician had done so since the cutting of ties with Taipei). In March 1973, Nadao created the LDP Members' Talkfest on Japan-China Relations. As Education Minister, Nadao was one of the chairmen of the Education System Research Council. Under the premiership of Prime Minister

Nobusuke Kishi was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. Known for his exploitative rule of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in Northeast China in the 1930s, Kishi was nicknamed the "Monster of the Shō ...

, Nadao was hawkish towards the teacher's union, '' Nikkyoso'', and the general council for trade unions, ''

'', arguing that teachers should not argue for better wages because they should teach based on their conviction and duty to their noble profession. His stand against Nikkyoso was what he was known for within the Ministry of Education, and lumped him in with other members of the "education-public peace" or "law and order" clique, or ''Bunkyo-chian

zoku is a Sino-Japanese term meaning tribe, clan, or family. As a suffix it has been used extensively within Japan to define subcultural phenomena, though many zoku do not acquire the suffix (e.g. cosplay). A ''zoku'' may be labeled with a Japane ...

''. Nadao was also responsible for policies pushing national identity through education. In 1968, he voiced his support for teaching children about the Emperor of Japan, his descent from the sun goddess

Amaterasu Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...

, and the formation of the Japanese monarchy. He also called for an reevaluation of the 6-3-3-4 system (6 years of primary school, 3 years of junior secondary school, 3 years of senior secondary school, and 4 years of university). After having served as Minister of Education multiple times, Nadao became a main member of the Education Committee of the LDP. In 1976, Nadao was named as one of the most powerful men in Japanese politics.

References

Citations

Bibliography

Books * * * Journals * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nadao, Hirokichi 1899 births 1994 deaths Speakers of the House of Representatives (Japan) Governors of Ōita Education ministers of Japan Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians University of Tokyo alumni People from Hiroshima Prefecture Ministers of Health and Welfare of Japan