Kōki Hirota

Kōki Hirota (廣田 弘毅, Hirota Kōki; 14 February 1878 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1936 to 1937. He was executed for war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War at the Tokyo Trials.

Born in Fukuoka, Hirota attended the Tokyo Imperial University and graduated with a law degree. Afterwards he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became a career diplomat, serving as minister to the Netherlands and ambassador to the Soviet Union, among other posts. In 1933, Hirota became foreign minister in the cabinet of Saitō Makoto, and retained the position when Keisuke Okada was appointed prime minister.

In 1936, following the February 26 incident, Hirota succeeded Okada as prime minister. His premiership saw the Japanese military's growing control over the civilian government, as well as the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact. He was forced to resign under Army pressure less than a year later and was succeeded by Senjūrō Hayashi. Later he briefly served as foreign minister under Fumimaro Konoe before retiring. In 1945, he returned to government service and led Japanese peace negotiations with the Soviet Union.

Following Japan's surrender at the end of the Second World War, Hirota was arrested as a Class A war criminal and brought before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He was found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging, the only civilian executed as a result of the proceedings.