was a prominent Japanese politician who served in various cabinet positions, including

Chief Cabinet Secretary The is a member of the cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transp ...

, and was also

Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan The is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives of Japan, and together with the President of the House of Councillors, the Speaker is also the head of the legislative branch of Japan. The Speaker is elected by members of the House ...

. He was also the founder of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

, and later served in senior positions in the

Liberal Democratic Party of Japan The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a conservativeThe Liberal Democratic Party is widely described as conservative: * * * * * political party in Japan. The LDP has been in power almost continuously since its foundation in 1955—a per ...

Early life

Hori was born on 20 December 1901, in

Karatsu, Saga is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as ...

. He graduated from

Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private flagship research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1885 as Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (the English Law School), Chuo is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country. The univer ...

in 1924.

Career

Following a career as a journalist at

Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. Reports 19 September 1939: SS Scharnhorst The Hochi Shimbu ...

and

Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

, Hori was elected to the

House of Representatives of Japan The is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house. The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for ...

in 1944. While he was put into custody following Japan's defeat, he was released and duly returned to political life, becoming Secretary General of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In 1950, Hori masterminded the union of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Liberal Party, resulting in the birth of the

. In the same year, Hori was appointed by

Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...

Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

, and also later served under Yoshida as

and

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

. In the 1960s, Hori served under

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1972. He is the third-longest serving Prime Minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as Prime Minister. Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a membe ...

as Minister of Construction and then as

. It was during this period that he rose to prominence within the Liberal Democratic Party itself, serving as its Secretary General and also as a senior figure within the Satō faction. Towards the end of his life, Hori served as Director of the Administrative Management Agency in the Tanaka cabinet, and was

, the latter of which he served until a month before his death. Hori died on 4 March 1979.

Honours

*Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a 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 features rays of sunlight ...

(1972)

References

External links

Historic Japanese cabinets (in Japanese)
kantei.go.jp; accessed 30 January 2018.

geocities.co.jp/WallStreet-Stock/7643/; accessed 31 March 2018 , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hori, Shigeru 1901 births 1979 deaths Chuo University alumni People from Saga Prefecture Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians 20th-century Japanese politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) Government ministers of Japan Ministers of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan Ministers of Health and Welfare of Japan Japanese journalists Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun 20th-century journalists