Marquis was a Japanese imperial bureaucrat and university professor.

Biography

Matsudaira was born in 1893 as the son of Matsudaira Yasutaka. His sister Toshiko married Takakimi Mitsui. In 1905, Matsudaira graduated from Tōkyō Kōtō Shihan Gakkō's attached elementary school (now

University of Tsukuba is a public university, public research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan. It is a top 10 Designated National University, and was ranked Type A by the Japanese government as part of the Top Global University Pro ...

elementary school), going on to graduate from its affiliated junior high school (currently Junior and Senior High School at Otsuka) in 1912. After graduating 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 ...

's faculty of law in 1919, he gave lectures at

Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...

and

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...

. He studied abroad in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1924. On 15 December 1930, he inherited the family after his father's death. As a marquis, he served in the House of Peers and belonged to the . Matsudaira also participated in meetings with newly elected

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

managed by

Fumimaro Konoe Prince was a Japanese politician and prime minister. During his tenure, he presided over the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and the breakdown in relations with the United States, which ultimately culminated in Japan's entry into World W ...

Kōichi Kido Marquis (July 18, 1889 – April 6, 1977) was a Japanese statesman who served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Emperor Hirohito throughout World War II. He was convicted of war crimes a ...

and Kumao Harada associated with . On 13 June 1936, Matsudaira was appointed as Kido's chief secretary in the

Naidaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese imperial court, Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre-Meiji period, Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remain ...

. He retired from that position on 24 November 1945, and on 17 January 1946, he assumed the presidency of the Bureau of Peerage until it was abolished in 1947. Matsudaira was one of the central aides of

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

and the

Imperial House of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

, and after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he contacted the

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milit ...

and testified against the

International Military Tribunal for the Far East The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trial or the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was a military trial convened on April 29, 1946 to try leaders of the Empire of Japan for crimes against peace, conven ...

. From March to April 1946, he comprised the with

Matsudaira Yoshitami was Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Office (now the Imperial Household Agency) (1947–1948). He was a graduate of the University of Oxford.『官報』 1942年07月11日叙任及辞令「式部長官従三位勲二等子爵松平慶� ...

, Hidenari Terasaki,

Inada Syūichi (February 26, 1902 – February 5, 1973) was a Japanese Home Ministry government official and politician. He was born in Niigata Prefecture. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was governor of Shiga Prefecture (1945–1946). He was Gr ...

and Michio Kinoshita, and interviewed the Emperor while writing . In 1949, he also drafted ''The Japanese Emperor and the War'', in which he described the Emperor's views of the war in regards to "numerous events of great historical significance." On 27 March 1947, Matsudaira assumed his position as the Grand Master of the Ceremonies. He died while serving in this position on 4 January 1957.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsudaira, Yasumasa 1893 births 1957 deaths Fukui-Matsudaira clan Kazoku Kyoto University alumni Meiji University faculty Nihon University faculty

Biography

See also

References