Saitō Makoto
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- In this Japanese name, the family name is Saitō.
| Viscount Saitō Makoto | |
|---|---|
| 27 October 1858 - 26 February 1936[1] | |
 Japanese Admiral Saitō Makoto |
|
| Place of birth | Mizusawa, Mutsu Province, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1879 -1928 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Akitsushima, Itsukushima. |
| Battles/wars | First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War World War I |
| Awards | Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum |
| Other work | Governor-General of Korea Prime Minister of Japan Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal |
Viscount Saitō Makoto (斎藤 実 Saitō Makoto?, 27 October 1858 – 26 February 1936) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Governor-General of Korea from 1919 to 1927 and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 26 May 1932 to 8 July 1934.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Saitō was born in Mizusawa domain, Mutsu Province (present day Ōshū City Iwate Prefecture), as the son of a samurai of the Mizusawa Clan. In 1879, he graduated from the 6th class Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, ranking third out of a class of 17 cadets.
[edit] Military career
In 1884, Saitō went to the United States for four years to study as a military attaché.In 1888, after returning to Japan, he served as a member of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff.
After his promotion to lieutenant commander on 20 December 1893, he served as executive officer on the cruiser Izumi and battleship Fuji.
During the First Sino-Japanese War, Saitō served as captain of the cruisers Akitsushima and Itsukushima. On 10 November 1898, he became Vice Minister of the Navy, and was promoted to rear admiral on 20 May 1900[2]
[edit] Political career
Saitō was again Vice Navy Minister at the start of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. He was promoted to Vice Admiral on 6 June 1904. After the end of the war, he served as Navy Minister for 6 years, from 1906-1912, during which time he continually strove for expansion of the navy.
On 21 September 1907, Saitō was ennobled with the title of danshaku (baron) under the kazoku peerage system. On 16 October 1912, he was promoted to full admiral. However, on 16 April 1914, Saitō was forced to resign from his posts in the navy due implications of his involvement in the Siemens scandal, and officially entered the reserves.
In 1919, Saitō was appointed as the third Japanese Governor-General of Korea, a post which he held for many years. He was appointed just after the Samil Independence Movement, and implemented a series of measures to moderate the policies of Japanese rule. He served as governor-general of Korea twice (from 1919–27, and again from 1929–31). On 29 April 1925, his title was elevated to that of shishaku (viscount)
In 1927, Saitō was a member of the Japanese delegation at the Geneva Naval Conference on Disarmament, and he later became a privy councillor.
[edit] As Prime Minister
Following the assassination of Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi on 15 May 1932 by fanatical navy officers who thought Inukai far too conciliatory (the May 15 Incident), Prince Saionji Kinmochi, one of the Emperor's closest and strongest advisors, attempted to stop the slide towards a military take-over of the government. In a compromise move, Saitō was chosen to be Inukai's successor. Sadao Araki remained as War Minister and immediately began making demands on the new government. During Saitō tenure, Japan recognized the independence of Manchukuo, and withdrew from the League of Nations.
Saitō's administration was one of the longer-serving ones of the inter-war period, and it continued until 8 July 1934; when the cabinet resigned en masse because of the Teijin Incident bribery scandal. Keisuke Okada succeeded as prime minister.
Saitō continued to be an important figure in politics as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 26 December 1935 but was assassinated during the February 26 Incident of 1936 at his home in Yotsuya, Tokyo.
Saitō was posthumously awarded Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.
[edit] References
[edit] Books
- Bix, Herbert B. (2001). Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-06-093130-2.
- Brendon, Piers (2002). The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s. Vintage; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-375-70808-1.
- Gordon, Andrew (2003). A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195110617.
- Jansen, Marius B (2002). The Making of Modern Japan. Belknap Press. ISBN 0674009916.
- Sims, Richard (2001). Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868-2000. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0312239157.
[edit] External links
- National Diet Library photos and biography
- Nishida, Hiroshi. Materials of IJN: Saito Makoto. Imperial Japanese Navy. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
- Republic of Korea
[edit] Notes
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| Preceded by Yamamoto Gonnohyoe |
Minister of the Navy of Japan Jan 1906 - Apr 1914 |
Succeeded by Yashiro Rokuro |
| Preceded by Count Yoshimichi Hasegawa of Korea |
Governor-General of Korea 1919-1927 |
Succeeded by Kazushige Ugaki |
| Preceded by Hanzo Yamanashi |
Governor-General of Korea 1929-1931 |
Succeeded by Kazushige Ugaki |
| Preceded by Kenkichi Yoshizawa |
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan 1932 |
Succeeded by Yasuya Uchida |
