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Katsumaro Akamatsu

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The native form of this personal name is Akamatsu Katsumaro. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Katsumaro Akamatsu
赤松 克麿
Photograph
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
1937–1942
ConstituencyHokkaido 4th district
Personal details
Born(1894-12-04)4 December 1894
Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, Japan
Died13 December 1955(1955-12-13) (aged 61)
Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
Political partyCommunist (1922–1926)
Social Democratic (1926–1932)
National Socialist (1932–1933)
Nationalist Society (1933–1937)
Renovation (1937–1940)
Imperial Rule Assistance Association (after 1940)[1]
SpouseAkiko Yoshino
RelativesTsuneko Akamatsu (sister)
Sakuzō Yoshino (father-in-law)
Renjō Akamatsu [ja] (grandfather)
EducationTokyo Imperial University
Japanese name
Kanji赤松 克麿
Kanaあかまつ かつまろ
Transcriptions
RomanizationAkamatsu Katsumaro

Katsumaro Akamatsu (Japanese: 赤松 克麿, Hepburn: Akamatsu Katsumaro, 4 December 1894 – 13 December 1955) was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Councillors for Hokkaido 4th district from 1937 to 1942. Initially a left-winger and member of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), he shifted to the right and embraced fascism.

Born in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, as the son and grandson of high priests, Akamatsu was educated at Tokyo Imperial University and studied under Sakuzō Yoshino. After graduation he became involved in the Japanese Federation of Labour and chief of its political bureau.

Akamatsu was a founding member of the JCP, but left to join the Social Democratic Party. He rose to become secretary-general of the party, but left due to his support of Japan's actions during the Mukden incident. Tatsuo Tsukui [ja] and Akamatsu formed multiple nationalist and fascist parties before joining the Imperial Rule Assistance Association.

Early life

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Katsumaro Akamatsu was born in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi,[2] on 4 December 1894,[3] to Yasuko and Shōtō Akamatsu, the high priest at Nishi Hongan-ji. His grandfather, Renjō Akamatsu [ja], also held the position of high priest at Nishi Hongan-ji. Three of his brothers became university professors while his sister Tsuneko Akamatsu became a member of the socialist movement.[4][5] He was a Christian.[6]

While in middle school in Tokuyama, Akamatsu led a student strike and was later expelled from the school. He attended Tokyo Imperial University from 1915 to 1919, where he studied under Sakuzō Yoshino. In March 1923, he married Yoshino's daughter Akiko.[4][7][8]

Career

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Left-wing

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In 1918, Akamatsu was one of the founding members of Shinjinkai [ja] and although it disbanded in 1928, its membership included Hisashi Asō, Tanahashi Kotora [ja], Yoshitsuru Yamana [ja], and other important leaders of Japanese socialism and communism.[7][9] After briefly working as a reporter for The Oriental Economist, Akamatsu worked in the research department of the Japanese Federation of Labour (Sōdōmei) from 1919 to 1924.[4]

Akamatsu was one of the founding members of the Japanese Communist Party in 1922, but left it to join the Social Democratic Party in 1926.[4][10] He did not support violent revolution and believed that socialism could be achieved through electoralism.[11] He unsuccessfully ran in the Miyagi 1st district as a Social Democrat in the 1928 and 1930 elections.[12][4]

At the 1922 Sōdōmei national convention, Akamatsu and Sanzō Nosaka cowrote resolutions calling for the recognition of the Soviet Union and for Japan to withdraw from Siberia.[13] In January 1924, Akamatsu became chief of the Sōdōmei's political bureau and was elected secretary-general of the Social Democrats[4][10] on 15 March 1930.[14] The expulsion of communists from Sōdōmei in 1925 was praised by Akamatsu because he saw it as a sign that the population were rejecting Marxism and instead embracing a form of socialism which he termed "liberal Japanism".[15]

Fascism

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The Mukden incident caused Akamatsu to change his beliefs and become closer to those held by Ikki Kita and Manabu Sano [ja].[16] He left the Social Democrats in 1932,[17] as he felt it was not supportive enough of Japan's activities during the Mukden incident[18] and was opposed to merging with other parties to form Shakai Taishūtō.[19] At the Social Democrats' 6th party convention from 19–20 January 1932, Akamatsu's faction submitted fascist resolutions while his opponents under the leadership of Tetsu Katayama proposed the Three Antis Platform of anti-capitalism, anti-communism, and anti-fascism; the resolutions of both factions were passed despite their contradictions.[20]

In the 1930s Akamatsu embraced fascism.[21][22] He was a member of Ryōhei Uchida's Greater Japan Production Party [ja] and toured Japan giving speeches in support of it.[23] Shūmei Ōkawa and Akamatsu started communications in 1930, and discussed conducting a coup to cause a "Shōwa Restoration". Ōkawa testified that Akamatsu was meant to lead popular demonstrations in Tokyo to divert the authorities during the March incident.[23][24]

From 1932 to 1940, he was involved in the foundation of five nationalist political parties.[16] Tatsuo Tsukui [ja] and Akamatsu formed the Japan National Socialist Party [ja] (also known as Japan State Socialist Party)[4][17] on 16 April 1932, with half of the Social Democratic Party's Central Executive Committee and one member of the National Diet joining them.[25][26] Yasaburō Shimonaka [de] was meant to join Akamatsu in this party, but they disagreed on who would be the chair so Shimonaka formed the New Japan Nationalist Federation instead.[27]

Tsukui and Akamatsu formed the Nationalist Society in April 1933, two months before leaving the Japan National Socialist Party.[28] Akamatsu worked with the leaders of the February 26 incident and was elected to the House of Representatives from Hokkaido 4th district in 1937. The Nationalist Society was converted into a political party under the name Japan Renovation Party.[4][29]

From September 1937 to February 1938, Akamatsu served as Propaganda Bureau Chief to the Shanghai Expeditionary Army. Although he was still a civilian, he was allowed to wear an uniform showing the rank of colonel. In October 1940, he became a section chief in the Planning Bureau of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association.[30]

Later life

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Losing reelection in 1942,[31][32] Akamatsu ended his political career and moved to Musashino, Tokyo. He was barred from political office after World War II by the Allied occupation. He died from cancer in Musashino,[4][32] on 13 December 1955.[33]

Works

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  • Shin kokumin undō no kichō (The Basis of a New National Movement), 1932[34]
  • Tōyō e no kyōshū: kindai bunmei no botsuraku (Nostalgia for the Orient: The Downfall of Modern Civilization), 1953[35]

References

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  1. ^ Totten 1966, p. 81.
  2. ^ Large 1983, p. 41.
  3. ^ Akira 2007, p. 23.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Beckmann & Okubo 1969, p. 362.
  5. ^ Shields 2017, pp. 24–28.
  6. ^ Yanagita 1957, pp. 64–65.
  7. ^ a b Shields 2017, p. 28.
  8. ^ Mackie 2003, p. 236.
  9. ^ Large 1981, p. 23.
  10. ^ a b Shields 2017, pp. 28–29.
  11. ^ Large 1983, pp. 43–44.
  12. ^ Totten 1966, pp. 415, 417.
  13. ^ Linkhoeva 2020, p. 172.
  14. ^ Totten 1966, p. 70.
  15. ^ Large 1983, p. 45.
  16. ^ a b Shields 2017, p. 29.
  17. ^ a b Large 1983, p. 49.
  18. ^ Tsuzuki 2000, p. 533.
  19. ^ Large 1981, p. 156.
  20. ^ Totten 1966, p. 73.
  21. ^ Etherton & Tiltman 1934, p. 27.
  22. ^ Large 1983, p. 47.
  23. ^ a b Large 1983, p. 48.
  24. ^ Totten 1966, p. 72.
  25. ^ Rosenberger & Tobin 1936, p. 274.
  26. ^ Roth 1945, p. 148.
  27. ^ Large 1981, pp. 156–157.
  28. ^ Large 1983, p. 53.
  29. ^ Large 1983, p. 54.
  30. ^ Large 1983, pp. 54–55.
  31. ^ Totten 1966, p. 422.
  32. ^ a b Large 1983, p. 55.
  33. ^ Akira 2007, p. 26.
  34. ^ Large 1983, p. 50.
  35. ^ Large 1983, p. 59.

Works cited

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Books

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Journals

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