Kyuichi Tokuda
| Kyuichi Tokuda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kyuichi Tokuda during a May Day rally in 1946 | |
| Chair of the Japanese Communist Party | |
| In office 1945–1953 | |
| Preceded by | Toshihiko Sakai |
| Succeeded by | Sanzo Nosaka |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 12, 1894 Okinawa |
| Died | October 14, 1953 (aged 59) China |
| Political party | Japanese Communist Party |
Kyuichi Tokuda (徳田 球一 Tokuda Kyūichi, September 12, 1894 - October 14, 1953) was a Japanese politician and first chairman of the Japanese Communist Party from 1945 until his death in 1953.
Biography
Kyuichi Tokuda was born in 1894 to a poor family in Okinawa. He worked as a substitute teacher before becoming a lawyer after graduating from Nihon University. He joined the Japanese Communist Party, becoming a member of its central committee. He was arrested in 1928, and was not released until on October 1945, a month after the end of World War II.[1] Upon his release from prison, Tokuda immediately read an "Appeal to the People",[2] a document written during his imprisonment,[3] that began with this declaration:
"We express our deepest gratitude that the occupation of Japan by the Allied forces, dedicated to liberating the world from fascism and militarism, has opened the way for the democratic revolution in Japan."[4]
He became the secretary-general of JCP. He was elected to the House of representatives three times in a row. In 1950, he was purged by the Occupation authorities. He fled to Beijing, where he died in exile.[5]
Works
- Eighteen Years in Prison (Gokuchu juhachi-nen) by Kyuichi Tokuda and Yoshio Shiga. Published by the Japanese Communist Party Party in 1948.
Some of the writings of Kyuichi Tokuda
At Revolutionary Democracy Archive
See also
- Japanese dissidence during the Shōwa period
- Mountain Village Operation Unit
- Yoshio Shiga (Communist)
References
- ↑ Milorad M. Drachkovitch (December 1, 1986). Biographical Dictionary of the Comintern. Hoover Institution Press. pp. 472–473.
- ↑ John W. Dower (June 17, 2000). Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 69.
- ↑ J. Victor Koschmann (December 1, 1996). Revolution and Subjectivity in Postwar Japan. University of Chicago Press. p. 28.
- ↑ John W. Dower (June 17, 2000). Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 69.
- ↑ Frédéric, Louis (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 975.
External links
- Kyuichi Tokuda at Find a Grave
- Tokuda, Kyuichi (1894 - 1953) Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures | National Diet Library
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