Tetsu Katayama

was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1947 to 1948. He was the first socialist to serve as Japanese prime minister, and the last non-member of the Liberal Democratic Party or its forerunners to serve until 1993.

Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Katayama graduated in law from Tokyo Imperial University in 1912. He was strongly influenced by the Christian socialism of Abe Isoo, and in the 1920s served as a legal adviser to labor organizations and socialist political parties. He helped form the Social Democratic Party in 1926, and was elected to the Diet for the first time in 1930. In 1932, his party merged with the Shakai Taishūtō, which was dissolved in 1940. After the Pacific War, he became the secretary-general of the Japan Socialist Party. After the 1947 election, Katayama became prime minister, heading a coalition cabinet with members of the Democratic Party and National Cooperative Party. With the backing of occupation authorities, he helped implement a wide range of progressive social reforms, including the establishment of a labor ministry, but had insufficient political strength for more radical reforms such as wage and price controls, forcing him to resign in 1948. Katayama lost his Diet seat in 1949, although he remained a leading figure in his party's right wing throughout the 1950s. From 1960, he supported the newly-formed Democratic Socialist Party.

Early life and education

He was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture on 28 July 1887. He attended Tokyo Imperial University and received a bachelor's degree in law. Raised in the Christian faith, he was strongly influenced by the Christian socialism of Abe Isoo. After graduating, he opened a law office in a rented YMCA dormitory, and worked as an attorney.

Political career

Katayama became secretary-general of the Social Democratic Party when it was established in 1926. He was elected to Japan's House of Representatives, representing Kanagawa Prefecture, in 1930. Later in 1932, he joined the executive committee of the Socialist Masses Party. He was removed from the party since he did not participate in the session of the House on which Takao Saito was expelled from the House for his antimilitary speech. After World War II, Katayama began to serve as secretary-general of the Japan Socialist Party when it was established in November 1945. In September 1946, he became the chairman of the party's executive committee.

Premiership (1947–1948)

Following the 1947 elections, in which the Socialist Party came in first, Katayama formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party and the National Cooperative Party. Although in reality, Emperor Hirohito was displeased by the fact that Katayama became the prime minister, wherein he was not included in the votation process. Despite leading a short-lived administration, Katayama, during his time in office, saw the enactment of a wide range of progressive social reforms such as the establishment of Japan's first Labour Ministry; an Unemployment Compensation Act; an Unemployment Insurance Act; and the overhaul revision of the Civil Code, whose section on the family institution was completely rewritten to provide, for instance, the eldest son with a greater inheritance share.

The Labour Standards Act of September 1947 introduced maternity leave for a five weekly mandatory post-natal period and prohibited dismissal of women during maternity leave and for thirty days after the end of the leave although not all workers were covered. In addition, the law provided for equal pay for equal work. The Employment Security Law of November 1947 contained authority for the government to operate a system of free public employment exchanges on a broader and more democratic basis than under the former Employment Exchange Law. It also provided for public services to the handicapped in securing employment, and outlawed labor bosses and other undemocratic forms of labor recruitment. The Child Welfare Law of December 1947 extended special protection to abused, abandoned, and neglected children, guaranteed the privacy rights of children born out of wedlock, established health-care programmes for mothers and children, provided for prenatal care, outlawed the employment of minors in dangerous occupations, and abolished the practice of indentured labour. The legislation also laid the institutional foundation for a nationwide system of childcare centres, created standards for foster parentage, and made the state responsible for setting up and supervising orphanages and other juvenile institutions.

The Law for the Elimination of Excessive Economic Concentration (passed in December 1947) provided for the dissolution of any company considered to be monopolistic, while the "law on the expulsion of Zaibatsu-affiliated controls" of January 1948 enforced the resignation of Zaibatsu board members who were related closely to Zaibatsu families, while a measure was taken to ban on holding the concurrent board posts of their affiliated companies. In addition, a government employees law was enacted, the first group of Japanese Supreme Court justices was appointed, local government and the police were reorganised, the Ministries of Home Affairs, Navy, and War were abolished, extensive revisions were made to criminal law, and progress was made on land reform.

Later life

At the end of the 1950s, Katayama was also the president of the Japan Temperance Union. The influence of left-wing socialists, such as Suzuki Mosaburō, forced Katayama to resign early in his term. After his resignation, Katayama became a member of the Democratic Socialist Party and advocated the maintenance of the pacifist constitution, election reform, and formation of a global commonwealth. In 1963, Katayama left politics after he lost his seat in the general elections.

Global policy

He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution. As a result, for the first time in human history, a World Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt a Constitution for the Federation of Earth.

Honors

*Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1964)
*Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers (1978; posthumous)

See also

* Katayama Cabinet

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katayama, Tetsu
1887 births
1978 deaths
20th-century prime ministers of Japan
People from Tanabe, Wakayama
20th-century Japanese lawyers
Ministers of finance of Japan
Japanese Protestants
Japanese Christians
Members of the House of Representatives (Empire of Japan)
Japan Socialist Party politicians
Democratic Socialist Party (Japan) politicians
Japanese Christian socialists
World Constitutional Convention call signatories