, was a politician and cabinet minister in the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

, serving as a member of the House of Peers of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

, twice as a cabinet minister, and also serving twice as mayor of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Biography

Nagata was born in Mihara District,

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

, in what is now part of the city of Minamiawaji. After graduating from the predecessor of

Kyoto Imperial University , or , is a national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen graduate schools, and t ...

and serving as a school principal in

Sumoto, Hyōgo 270px, Sumoto City Hall 270px, Sumoto Castle is a city located on Awaji Island, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,094 and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geogr ...

from 1902 to 1904, he obtained a posting in the

Home Ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a Ministry (government department), government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law e ...

and rose to become head of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Department. From April to October 1916, Nagata was appointed governor of

Mie Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture an ...

, returning afterwards to the Home Ministry to head the Public Security Bureau. From December 22, 1920, to May 29, 1923, he served as Deputy Mayor of Tokyo. From May 29, 1923, to September 8, 1924, Nagata was appointed mayor of Tokyo, and was thus in office during the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

of September 1, which destroyed most of the city. In 1926, he published a book titled ''Return to the Spirit of the Founding of the Japanese State'', to help promote the new national holiday of

National Foundation Day National Foundation Day may refer to: * National Foundation Day (Japan) * National Foundation Day (Korea) {{disambiguation ...

, which he had helped create two years previously through lobbying effects of a right-wing organization which he led. From May 1929, Nagata became president of

Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).1940 Summer Olympics The 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad, was a planned international multi-sport event scheduled to have been held from 21 September to 6 October 1940, in Tokyo City, Japan, and later rescheduled for 20 July t ...

in Tokyo. For Nagata, it was essential that Tokyo host the 1940 Olympics, as the date coincided with the Japanese 2600th Anniversary celebrations. He was forced to resign after a police sweep rounded up 6900 suspected communists in Tokyo.Time Magazine
/ref> Nagata subsequently served in the House of Peers in the

. From March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937, Nagata was appointed Minister of Colonial Affairs under the Kōki administration. He returned to the cabinet as Railway Minister under the Abe administration from November 29, 1939, to January 14, 1940. Nagata was also one of the founders of the

Japan Football Association The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the Sport governing body, governing body responsible for the administration of Association football, football, futsal, beach soccer and Esports, efootball in Japan. It is responsible for the Japan national ...

References

, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagata, Hidejiro 1876 births 1943 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Japan People from Minamiawaji, Hyōgo Politicians from Hyōgo Prefecture Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Government ministers of Japan Mayors of Tokyo