| Inukai Tsuyoshi 犬養 毅 |
|
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 13 December 1931 – 15 May 1932 |
|
| Monarch | Shōwa |
| Preceded by | Wakatsuki Reijirō |
| Succeeded by | Takahashi Korekiyo (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 April 1855 Okayama, Tokugawa |
| Died | 15 May 1932 (aged 77) Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Friends of Constitutional Government (1924–1932) |
| Other political affiliations |
Constitutional Reform Party (1882–1896) Progressive Party (1896–1898) Constitutional Party (1898–1910) Constitutional Nationalist Party (1910–1922) Reform Club (1922–1924) |
| Children | Inukai Takeru |
| Alma mater | Keio University |
Inukai Tsuyoshi (犬養 毅, 20 April 1855 – 15 May 1932) was a Japanese politician and the 29th Prime Minister of Japan from 13 December 1931 to 15 May 1932.
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Inukai was born to a former samurai family of the Niwase Domain, in Niwase village, Bizen Province (present-day Okayama city, Okayama Prefecture), and was a graduate of Keio Gijuku (subsequently Keio University) in Tokyo. In his early career, he worked as a journalist. He went with the Imperial Japanese Army to the front during the Satsuma Rebellion as a reporter for the Yūbin Hōchi Shimbun.
Inukai helped form the Rikken Kokumintō political party in 1882, which supported liberal political causes, and strongly opposed the domination of the government by members of the former Chōshū and Satsuma domains (hanbatsu). He was first elected to the Lower House of the Imperial Diet in 1890, and was subsequently reelected 17 times.
His first cabinet post was as Minister of Education in the first Ōkuma Shigenobu administration of 1898, and as Minister of Posts and Communications in the second Yamamoto Gonnohyōe administration.
He was a leading figure in the Shimpotō, the Kenseitō and the Rikken Kokumintō, which eventually toppled the government of Katsura Tarō in 1913.
In 1922, the Rikken Kokumintō became the Kakushin Kurabu, which joined forces with other minor parties to form the cabinet during the premiership of Katō Takaaki in 1924. During his time, Inukai served on the cabinet again as Minister of Posts and Communications. The Kakushin Kurabu then merged with the Rikken Seiyūkai, and Inukai continued as a senior member. In 1929, after the sudden death of Tanaka Giichi, Inukai became president of the Rikken Seiyūkai.
Inukai became the 29th Prime Minister of Japan in 1931. At the time, Japan was in a serious economic situation due to the effects of the Great Depression of 1929, and its untimely return to the gold standard. Inukai's government immediately took steps to inflate the economy and to place an embargo on gold exports. However, Inukai was unable to impose fiscal restraint on the military, nor was he able to control the military’s designs on China after the Manchurian Incident. Inukai's struggle against the military led to his assassination during the May 15 Incident of 1932, which effectively marked the end of civilian political control over government decisions until after World War II.
Inukai's third son was writer, politician and post-war Minister of Justice Inukai Takeru. His great-granddaughter is Sadako Ogata, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991 until 2001.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Wakatsuki Reijirō |
Prime Minister of Japan 1931–1932 |
Succeeded by Takahashi Korekiyo Acting |
| Preceded by Shidehara Kijūrō |
Minister of Foreign Affairs(Interim) 1931-1932 |
Succeeded by Yoshizawa Kenkichi |
| Preceded by Nakahashi Tokugorō |
Home Minister(Interim) 1931 |
Succeeded by Suzuki Kisaburō |
| Preceded by Maeda Toshisada |
Minister of Communications 1923- 1924 |
Succeeded by Fujimura Yoshirō |
| Preceded by Fujimura Yoshirō |
Minister of Communications 1924- 1925 |
Succeeded by Adachi Kenzō |
| House of Representatives of Japan | ||
| New district | Representative for Okayama 2nd district 1928−1932 Served alongside: Ogawa Gōtarō, Nishimura Tanjirō, Hoshijima Nirō, several others |
Vacant
Title next held by
Inukai Takeru etc. |
| New district | Representative for Okayama 4th district (single-member) 1920−1928 |
district eliminated |
| New district | Representative for Okayama counties district 1902−1920 Served alongside: Nishimura Tanjirō, Moriya Konosuke, many others |
district eliminated |
| New parliament | Representative for Okayama 3rd district (single-member) 1890−1902 |
district eliminated |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Tanaka Giichi |
Rikken Seiyūkai president 1929−1932 |
Succeeded by Suzuki Kisaburō |
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