was a Japanese labor activist who served as the

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the Japanese Communist Party from March 1928 until his death in October 1928, while the party was outlawed under the

Peace Preservation Law The was a Japanese law enacted on April 22, 1925, with the aim of allowing the Special Higher Police to more effectively suppress alleged socialists and communists. In addition to criminalizing forming an association with the aim of altering the ...

Early life

Watanabe was born in 1899 in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture. He was the son of a tatami mat maker. After graduating primary school in 1912, he went to

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 ...

to work in a wine shop. In 1917, he worked in a

celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...

factory in Kamedo section of Tokyo. While employed there, Watanabe got a tattoo of the name "Kou", after his girlfriend Nomura Kou, on his left forearm.

Political activism

Watanabe organized the National Celluloid Workers Union in Tokyo in 1919. He joined the Japanese Communist Party soon after its establishment in 1922. He used the alias "Asano" during his years in the Communist Party. On 15 March, 1924, he married Tanno Setsu, a labour activist, and member of the Communist Party. The marriage was not legally recognized, however, as there was no permission from Tanno's parents, who needed to approve the marriage since their daughter was under 25 years old at the time. In March 1927, he went to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

to represent the JCP at the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

, and the eighth enlarged plenum of the ECCI. That same year, Watanabe returned to Japan and took over the leadership of the party. In March 1928, he was elected chairman of the JCP central committee. Watanabe escaped Japan during mass arrests on March 15, 1928. He traveled to Formosa (modern-day

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

) disguised as a dry goods merchant.

Death

While at Shuishang railway station to wait for a train headed for

Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...

, Watanabe was chosen for a search by a local police officer, but evaded custody by shooting the officer with a concealed pistol. During the subsequent chase by police, he committed suicide by gunshot. Watanabe's remains were returned to his family in Japan in November 1929 and buried at an Ankoku-ji temple in Ichikawa.

Early life

Political activism

Death

References

Further reading