was a Japanese was a politician and cabinet minister in the Taishō and early

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

s of the

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 ...

. His brother,

Iwao Yamazaki was a lawyer, politician and cabinet minister in the early Shōwa period of Japan. His brother, Tatsunosuke Yamazaki was also a politician and cabinet minister, and his nephew Heihachiro Yamazaki was later a prominent member of the post-war Libe ...

was also a politician and cabinet minister, and his nephew Heihachiro Yamazaki was later a prominent member of the post-war Liberal-Democratic Party.

Biography

Yamazaki was born in

Ōkawa, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1954. The name means 'big river'. As of January 31, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 37,579, with 13,102 households and a population density of 1,117. ...

. He graduated with a law degree from

Kyoto Imperial University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 billion USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to disting ...

in 1906, after which he worked at the office of the

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan ( ja, 臺灣總督, Taiwan Sōtoku) was the head of the Government-General of Taiwan in the Japanese era (including Formosa and the Pescadores) when they were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945. The Jap ...

, and later as a bureaucrat at the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. In 1924, he was elected as an independent candidate in the Japanese general election of 1924 to the

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 ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

, but joined the '' Rikken Seiyūkai'' party the following year. He was reelected in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

, and in 1932. In 1934, contrary to the orders of the ''Rikken Seiyūkai'' party he joined the cabinet of Prime Minister

Okada Okada (written: 岡田 literally "hill rice-paddy") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the name include: * , Japanese painter * Doris Okada Matsui, American politician of the Democratic Party * , Japanese painter in the Edo period * , Japa ...

as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and was promptly expelled from the party. In response, Yamazaki formed the small ''Shōwakai'' political party, together with

Tokonami Takejirō was a Japanese statesman, politician and cabinet minister in Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan.Nakayama, Gotō, and Yoshioka (2006), 381. Tokonami was involved in several government agencies throughout his career, and served in the leaders ...

in 1935, and was reelected again in the 1936 General Election. In February 1937, Yamazaki was re-appointed Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the cabinet of Prime Minister

Senjūrō Hayashi was a Japanese politician and general. He served as Imperial Japanese Army Commander of the Japanese Korean Army during the Mukden Incident and the invasion of Manchuria. He briefly served as Prime Minister of Japan in 1937. Early life Haya ...

and concurrently to the post of Communications Minister for a one-week period. He was again reelected in the 1937 General Election. One of the conditions imposed by Hayashi is that Yamazaki renounce his political party affiliation. page 124 In 1938, Yamazaki returned to the ''Rikken Seiyūkai'', but to the reform faction headed by

Chikuhei Nakajima , was a Japanese naval officer, engineer, and politician, who is most notable for having founded Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the Empire of Japan. He also served as a cabinet minister. Biography Nakajim ...

. In 1940, he was one of the primary members creating the League of Diet Members Supporting the Prosecution of the Holy War and supported the creation of a

one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...

under the

Imperial Rule Assistance Association The , or Imperial Aid Association, was the Empire of Japan's ruling organization during much of World War II. It was created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 12 October 1940, to promote the goals of his ("New Order") movement. It evolved i ...

, serving as policy chief, standing affairs chief and finally as Deputy Chairman. He was reelected for a seventh time in 1942. Under the administration of Prime Minister

Hideki Tojo Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...

, Yamazaki was re-appointed Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and in January 1943 became the first minister of the resurrected Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. Following the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

, he was one of the founding members of the short-lived Japan Progressive Party. However, in 1946 he was

purged In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another organization, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertak ...

from public office by the American occupation authorities and died in 1948.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamazaki, Tatsunosuke 1880 births 1948 deaths People from Ōkawa, Fukuoka Politicians from Fukuoka Prefecture Rikken Seiyūkai politicians Imperial Rule Assistance Association politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Empire of Japan) Kyoto University alumni Government ministers of Japan