was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as the first

President of the House of Councillors The is the presiding officer of the House of Councillors, the upper house of Japan, and together with the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Japan), Speaker of the House of Representatives, the president is also the head of the Governme ...

from 1947 to 1949. He previously served as Ambassador to the United States from 1924 to 1928, to Britain from 1929 to 1936, and Minister of the Imperial Household from 1936 to 1945.

Early life and career

Tsuneo Matsudaira was born on 17 April 1877, as the sixth son of Katamori Matsudaira, former

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to ...

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princ ...

. Katamori was a prominent Tokugawa loyalist in the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

, but had been shown clemency and later became a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. The eldest son Kataharu took over the family headship and became a viscount when the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

was reorganised in 1884. After attending Gakushuin and the

First Higher School The First Higher School (第一高等学校, Daiichi ''Kōtō Gakkō'') was a university preparatory boy's boarding school in Tokyo, Japan. It is the direct predecessor of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tokyo. Overview ...

, Matsudaira studied law and politics at

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 ...

. He graduated in 1902 and entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1906 he married Nobuko Nabeshima, the daughter of Marquis Naohiro Nabeshima. It was a particularly prestigious connection as her older sister had married Prince Nashimoto. Rising in the Ministry, Matsudaira became director general of the European and American Affairs Bureau in 1920. He was promoted to Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1923, before being appointed Ambassador to the United States the following year.

Imperial marriage

After he was called back to Japan in 1928, the Empress Dowager Sadako arranged for his daughter Setsuko to marry her second son

Prince Chichibu was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of seve ...

. The wedding was celebrated in September. Matsudaira was then sent to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

as Ambassador to Britain from 1929. In that capacity he represented his country at the London Conference on Naval Armaments in 1930. During that conference, he was convinced to accept the ratio in ships which appeared humiliating to the Japanese government through the persuasion efforts of one of the US delegates, Senator David A. Reed, who in return agreed to grant the Japanese government better terms on non-combatant ships. He returned to Japan in 1935. In October his second daughter Masako married the heir of Marquis

Yoshichika Tokugawa Marquess was a Japanese botanist, hunter, patron of the arts and sciences, and politician. He was the 19th head of the Owari-Tokugawa family, one of the '' Tokugawa Gosanke''. Life Yoshichika was born into the Matsudaira family of Echizen ( ...

and in December his son Ichiro married the daughter of Prince

Iemasa Tokugawa Prince also known as Iyemasa, was a Japanese political figure of the Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was the 17th hereditary head of the former shogunal branch of the Tokugawa clan and the final President of the House of Peers in the D ...

. After the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Makoto Saito was assassinated in the February 26 incident of 1936, the Minister of the Imperial Household Kurahei Yuasa was appointed to succeed him. Matsudaira was appointed to take over as Minister of the Imperial Household. He served in this position until June 1945, when he resigned to take responsibility for the destruction of a part of the Imperial Palace in the American firebombing of Tokyo. Towards the end of the war he was among the Japanese leaders who acknowledged that the war was lost and suggested searching for early surrender.

Post-war political career

When the

Ichiro Hatoyama , also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played for 28 seasons. He played the first nine years of his career with the Orix Buffaloes, Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the ...

was

purged In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertaking such an ...

on the verge on becoming prime minister following the 1946 general election Matsudaira was considered as a candidate to replace him, but

Shigeru Yoshida was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of the country's occupation after World War II. Yoshida played a major role in determining the cour ...

was chosen instead. In 1946 Matsudaira was appointed to the Privy Council, but this body was abolished when the 1947 constitution came into effect. Under the new constitution he was elected in the 1947 House of Councillors election. He formed the Ryokufūkai with other independents and was elected as the first President of the House. He died of a heart attack on November 14, 1949, at the age of 72. His tomb is in

Aoyama Cemetery is a cemetery in Aoyama, Tokyo, Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is known for its cherry blossoms and is popular during the season of . History The cemetery was origin ...

Honors

''From the corresponding Japanese Wikipedia article''

Japanese decorations

*Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

(31 May 1924; Second Class: 1 November 1920; Third Class: 28 June 1919) *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(11 April 1931; Fourth Class: 1 April 1916; Fifth Class: 24 August 1911; Sixth Class: 1 April 1906)

Works

* Matsudaira, Tsuneo. "Sports and Physical Training in Modern Japan," ''Transactions and Proceedings of the Japan Society'', London, 8 (1907/1909), 120

Ancestry

References

External links

* * Japanese Wiki article on Tsuneo Matsudaira
Timeline of Tsuneo's life
* Chichibu, Princess Setsuko. ''The Silver Drum.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsudaira, Tsuneo 1877 births 1949 deaths Aizu-Matsudaira clan Ambassadors of Japan to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of Japan to the United States Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Politicians from Tokyo Presidents of the House of Councillors (Japan)