Ichizō Kobayashi
Ichizō Kobayashi | |
---|---|
小林 一三 | |
20th Minister of Commerce and Industry | |
In office 22 July 1940 – 4 April 1941 | |
Monarch | Hirohito |
Prime Minister | Fumimaro Konoe |
Preceded by | Ginjirō Fujiwara |
Succeeded by | Teijirō Toyoda |
Personal details | |
Born | Nirasaki, Yamanashi, Japan | January 3, 1873
Died | January 25, 1957 Ikeda, Osaka, Japan | (aged 84)
Relations |
|
Alma mater | Keio University |
Known for | Founder of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group |
Ichizō Kobayashi (小林 一三, Kobayashi Ichizō, January 3, 1873 – January 25, 1957), occasionally referred to by his pseudonym Itsuō (逸翁), was a Japanese industrialist and politician. He is best known as the founder of
between 1940-1941.Life
Ichizō Kobayashi was born in Kawarabe village, Koma, Yamanashi Prefecture (present-day Nirasaki, Yamanashi) on January 3, 1873, to a wealthy merchant family known by the trade name "Nunoya".[1][2] His mother died immediately after his birth and his father left the family, leaving Kobayashi under the care of his uncle's family.[2]
He was named Ichizō, meaning "one-three", because of his birthday, January 3.[1] He graduated from Keio Gijuku in 1892.[1]
After a 14-year career at the
Later, Kobayashi was president of council of Tokyo Gasu Denki Kōgyō (Tokyo Gas Electric Engineering Company). He was appointed in charge of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the 1940 Konoe Cabinet.[4]
He joined the
After the end of World War II, he was appointed the cabinet minister of the Shidehara cabinet and became the president of the War Damage Rehabilitation Institute (戦災復興院, Sensai-fukkō-in), but he was soon purged due to his prewar political career. The purge was lifted in 1951.[1]
Kobayashi died in January 1957. The Itsuō Art Museum in Ikeda, Osaka opened in October 1957 and is dedicated for his art collection.
Kobayashi diplomatic mission, September 1940
Ichizō Kobayashi was commissioned by the
The Dutch Embassy in Japan did not actively take part, although the Dutch Ambassador in Tokyo,
Their first demand was an increase of petrol exports to Japan from the existing 570,000 tons in 1939 to 3,750,000 tons, about 50% of the total Dutch East Indies production. The Dutch answered that existing obligations would only permit an increase to about 1,800,000 tons. Kobayashi initially accepted this proposal, but was soon recalled to Japan on October 2, 1940.
In the book Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor written by Robert Stinnett:
The heated diplomatic interchanges between Kobayashi and van Mook (H.J. van Mook, Dutch minister) were in sharp contrast to the peaceful surroundings. Japan's diplomats angrily contended that the Netherlands delegates were mere puppets of Washington. On the table were proposals involving Japanese rights to obtain oil and petroleum products from the Netherlands' enormous reserves in the Dutch East Indies. Japan called for the Dutch to provide a minimum of 3,150,000 metric tons of petroleum annually. One of the delegates, Japanese minister of commerce Ichizō Kobayashi, demanded that the Dutch guarantee a delivery schedule covering a five-year period. Kobayashi expressed the attitude of his government: The Netherlands has been closely co-operating with United Kingdom and the United States. Now is the time to shake hands with Japan.[5]
Another diplomatic commission was then led by Kenkichi Yoshizawa.
References
- ^ a b c d e 小林一三年譜 (in Japanese). Itsuo Art Museum. Archived from the original on November 3, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ )
- ^ "Takarazuka Revue History". Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
- ^ Hankyu-Toho Group Archived August 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Day of Deceit, Robert B. Stinnett, New York 2000 p. 40
Further reading
- "Kobayashi Ichizō: The Visionary Impresario of the Takarazuka Revue". Nippon.com. June 9, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
External links
- Itsuo Art Museum (in Japanese)