Kenzaburo Hara (
Japanese: 原 健三郎, ''Hara Kenzaburō'', February 6, 1907 – November 7, 2004) was a
Speaker of the
House of Representatives of Japan. He served as a
legislator for 54 years until he retired in 2000, and died of heart failure in
Tokyo at the age of 97.
Biography
Hara was born in
Hokudan, on an island in the Awaji island group, in
Hyogo Prefecture in 1907. After graduating from the political and economic department of
Waseda University and the graduate course of the
University of Oregon, he joined
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
Ltd., a major publishing house. He served as managing editor of the "
Gendai" magazine before becoming a legislator. He is also known as either the original author or scenario writer of five of the nine movies in the popular "Wataridori" ("Migratory Bird") series produced by
Nikkatsu Corp.
Hara was first elected to the
Diet in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's first post-war
Lower House
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
election held in 1946 with the backing of the now defunct Japan Progressive Party. He later joined the ruling
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He had served 20 terms, totaling 54 years, as a Lower House member until he retired from politics at the age of 93 in June 2000 shortly before a general election. Hara was the second longest serving legislator in the post-war period next only to former
prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone.
After serving as
labor minister Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
and director general of the National Land Agency and the Hokkaido Development Agency, he served as Lower House speaker from July 1986 to June 1989.
Known to his constituents by the nickname "Haraken", Hara was one of the most influential politicians in Japan during the 20th century. He served as a legislator for over half the century and became the Speaker of the Lower House. He was first elected in 1946 as General
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
arrived to oversee the occupation and reconstruction of Japan, following its surrender at the end of
World War II. As one of the few legislators to speak proficient English, Hara was invited into the deliberations of MacArthur's inner circle. Hara made controversial statements as measured by western standards. He was criticized for saying, "Those who'll go to nursing care homes for the aged
fter they grow oldare the worst," in a speech he delivered in a Coming-of-the-Age Day ceremony in
Sumoto,
Awaji Island, in January 1972. He had publicly pledged to voters in his home constituency that the
Akashi Strait Bridge
The is a suspension bridge which links the city of Kobe on the Japanese island of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island. It is part of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway, and crosses the busy and turbulent Akashi Strait (''Akashi Kaikyō'' in Japanes ...
between
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
and
Awaji Island would be built. As a sign of the influence he wielded, the bridge was opened to traffic in April 1998.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hara, Kenzaburo
Members of the House of Representatives (Japan)
Government ministers of Japan
Speakers of the House of Representatives (Japan)
Waseda University alumni
University of Oregon alumni
1907 births
2004 deaths
Members of the House of Representatives (Empire of Japan)
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers