Den Kenjirō

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Japanese name, the surname is Den.
Baron
Den Kenjirō
田 健治郎
Akashi Motojirō
Succeeded byUchida Kakichi
Minister of Justice
In office
2 September 1923 – 6 September 1923
Prime MinisterYamamoto Gonnohyōe
Preceded byOkano Keijirō
Succeeded byHiranuma Kiichirō
Minister of Agriculture and Commerce
In office
2 September 1923 – 24 December 1923
Prime MinisterYamamoto Gonnohyōe
Preceded byArai Kentarō
Succeeded byOkano Keijirō
Minister of Communications
In office
9 October 1916 – 29 September 1918
Prime MinisterTerauchi Masatake
Preceded byMinoura Katsundo
Succeeded byNoda Utarō
Personal details
Born(1855-03-25)25 March 1855
Tamba, Hyōgo, Japan
Died16 November 1930(1930-11-16) (aged 75)
Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Political partyRikken Seiyūkai

Baron Den Kenjirō (田 健治郎, 25 March 1855 – 16 November 1930) was a Japanese politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war government of the Empire of Japan. He was also the 8th Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan from October 1919 to September 1923, and the first civilian to hold that position. Den was also a co-founder of Kaishinsha Motorcar Works, a predecessor to present-day Nissan and the original manufacturer of Datsun automobiles.

Biography

Den was born in Tanba-Kaibara Domain, located in

Japanese Government Railways. In 1898, he resigned from government service to accept an appointment as president of the Kansai Railway Company
.

He returned to government service in 1900 as Director of the Administration Bureau of the Communications Ministry, but resigned again only a year later to run for election to the

Diet of Japan under the sponsorship of Itō Hirobumi and the Rikken Seiyūkai political party. He served for two non-consecutive terms, returning each time to a senior post within the Ministry of Communications. In 1906, he was appointed to the House of Peers, and the following year was made a baron (danshaku) within the kazoku peerage system. In politics, he became closely aligned with the faction under the conservative genrō, Yamagata Aritomo, but later broke with Yamagata over issues pertaining to the Siemens scandal
.

Den was also one of the founders of the Kaishinsha Motorcar Works in 1914. The "D" in the company acronym "DAT" was from "Den". Later changed to "Datsun", the company was acquired by the Nissan zaibatsu in the 1930s.[1]

From 1916 to 1918, under Prime Minister Terauchi Masatake, Den was appointed Minister of Communications. During this period, he expressed concerns over the dominance of the United States and Great Britain over the new League of Nations, which contributed to an "encirclement" of Japan.[2] In 1919, Den was appointed

Crown Prince Hirohito
made a state visit to Taiwan.

Following the

Setagaya, Tokyo. His grave is at the Tama Cemetery in Fuchū, Tokyo
.

Den kept a detailed diary from 1906 to his death in 1930, which forms an important source document for the history of politics during the

Taishō period
of Japanese history.

Awards and decorations

Japanese

Peerages and titles

  • Baron (21 September 1907)

Decorations

Order of precedence

  • Fourth rank (28 February 1898)
  • Third rank (30 September 1916)
  • Second rank (1 April 1930)

Foreign

See also

References

  • Ching, Leo T.S. (2001). Becoming Japanese: Colonial Taiwan and the Politics of Identity Formation. University of California Press.
    ISBN 978-0-520-22553-4
    .
  • Rubensteen, Murray (2006). Taiwan: A New History. M.E. Sharpe.
    ISBN 978-0-7656-1494-0
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenjirō Den.

Notes

  1. ISBN 978-0810875395
    . page 219
  2. ISBN 978-0674005075
    . page 234
  3. ISBN 978-0691102221
    . page 108, 217
Government offices
Preceded by
Akashi Motojirō
 Governor-General of Taiwan
October 1919 – September 1923 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Communications
October 1916 – September 1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Justice
September 1923 – September 1923 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Agriculture and Commerce
September 1923 – December 1923 		Succeeded by
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