Dan Takuma

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Dan Takuma (born September 7, 1858, Fukuoka, Japan; died March 5, 1932, Tokyo) was a Japanese businessman who was Director-General of Mitsui, one of the leading Japanese zaibatsu (family conglomerates). He was a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was married to the younger sister of statesman Kaneko Kentaro.

Dan favored the cultivation of closer relations between Japan and the Western powers. In 1921, he led the Japanese Businessmen's Mission, in which a group of Japanese business leaders visited the United States, Great Britain, and France to discuss bilateral economic issues and to promote personal ties with businesspeople of those countries.

On March 5, 1932, Dan was assassinated by right-wing nationalist Goro Hishinuma as part of the League of Blood Incident.

Dan's son was embryologist Katsuma Dan, and his grandson was operatic composer Ikuma Dan.

[edit] External links

• Encyclopedia Britannica entry (subscription required for full text)

[edit] Sources

• Masato Kimura, "The Contributions and Limitations of Japanese Business Diplomacy in the Interwar Period", The Suntory Center, London School of Economics, July 2002
• "Baron Takuma Dan" (obituary). The Times (London), 11 March 1932.