was a Japanese government bureaucrat. He was appointed

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...

and was the Chief of Internal Affairs for the

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan (, shinjitai: ) 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 Japanese governors- ...

Biography

Obama was born in

Tokyo Prefecture Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which ...

, Japan in July 1886 as the fourth son of . He graduated from High School No. 2 in Sendai-ku (now part of

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

) in

Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...

. He graduated in 1912 from

Tokyo Imperial University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...

with degrees in law and economics and was appointed to 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 ...

office in

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

. In November 1913, he passed with high marks the civil official exam for department administration. He was appointed the county administrator for Himi-gun in Toyama Prefecture in 1914. Several additional appoints followed: Prefectural Director for Hiroshima Prefecture, Prefectural Director for Hyougo Prefecture, Section Chief of the Health and Insurance Board in the Home Ministry, city welfare bureau chief, and other similar positions. Obama was appointed Governor of

, serving from May 25, 1928, until August 26, 1930. He was preceded as Governor by Keizō Ichimura and was succeeded by Naokitsu Tachibana. He did not hold any public office between August 1930 and March 1932. He became the Chief of Internal Affairs for the

in March 1932, and held that office until October 1936. He retired from public office that same year. He died on September 24, 1948.『朝日新聞』（東京本社発行）1948年9月25日朝刊、2面の訃報より。

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Joukou 1886 births 1948 deaths Governors of Fukui Prefecture Political office-holders in Taiwan Politicians from Tokyo