Ministry of Colonial Affairs (Japan)

Ministry of Colonial Affairs
拓務省; Takumushō
Agency overview
Formed	June 10, 1929
Dissolved	November 1, 1942
Superseding agency	Colonization Bureau;
Parent agency	Empire of Japan

The Ministry of Colonial Affairs (拓務省, Takumushō) was a

government ministry of the Empire of Japan

from 1929 to 1942.

History

The original Ministry of Colonial Affairs was the short-lived Hokkaidō Colonization Office, established in the early

Hokkaidō

.

This was followed by the even shorter-lived Colonial Administration Department within the office of the Governor-General of Taiwan. Established on 2 April 1896 by General Takashima Tomonosuke, it was intended to encourage Japanese investment and settlement in Taiwan, after the acquisition of that island by Japan as a result of the First Sino-Japanese War. The office was abolished on 2 September 1897.

Japan acquired

Giichi Tanaka

.

The new ministry was intended to coordinate emigration and settlement in all exterior territories of Japan, and had supervisory responsibility for Japanese controlled territory of Korea (朝鮮, Chōsen), of Taiwan (台湾, Taiwan), of Karafuto (樺太, Karafuto) (or South Sakhalin), of Nanyo (南洋, Nan'yō) (or South Seas Mandate), and the Kwantung Leased Territory (関東, Kantō).

However, the ministry did not actually sponsor emigration to those territories. It only provided advice and cooperated with private emigration sponsorship companies.

The ministry also oversaw operations of the

Ministry of War

, who wanted to keep control over the future economic development of Manchuria to itself.

Likewise, the

Governor-General of Korea

, who was accustomed to virtual autonomy, rejected the new ministry's control and continued to administer Korea with little interference.

On 1 November 1942, the Ministry of Colonial Affairs was abolished, and its functions divided between the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the newly created Ministry of Greater East Asia.

List of ministers of colonial affairs

Portrait	Name	Term of office		Cabinet
1	Baron Tanaka Giichi 田中義一	10 June 1929	2 July 1929	Tanaka
2	Matsuda Genji 松田源治	2 July 1929	14 April 1931	Hamaguchi
3	Hara Shūjirō 原脩次郎	14 April 1931	9 September 1931	2nd Wakatsuki
4	Baron Wakatsuki Reijirō 若槻礼次郎	9 September 1931	13 December 1931	2nd Wakatsuki
5	Hata Toyosuke 秦豊助	13 December 1931	26 May 1932	Inukai
6	Nagai Ryūtarō 永井柳太郎	26 May 1932	8 July 1934	Saitō
7	Okada Keisuke 岡田啓介	8 July 1934	9 October 1934	Okada
8	Count Kodama Hideo 兒玉秀雄	9 October 1934	9 March 1936	Okada
9	Nagata Hidejirō 永田秀次郎	9 March 1936	2 February 1937	Hirota
10	Yūki Toyotarō 結城豊太郎	2 February 1937	4 June 1937	Hayashi
11	Ōtani Sonyu 大谷尊由	4 June 1937	26 May 1938	1st Konoe
12	Ugaki Kazushige 宇垣一成	26 May 1938	30 September 1938
13	Prince Konoe Fumimaro 近衞文麿	30 September 1938	29 October 1938
14	Hatta Yoshiaki 八田嘉明	29 October 1938	7 April 1939
15	Koiso Kuniaki 小磯國昭	7 April 1939	30 August 1939	Hiranuma
16	Kanemitsu Tsuneo 金光庸夫	30 August 1939	16 January 1940	Abe
17	Koiso Kuniaki 小磯國昭	16 January 1940	22 July 1940	Yonai
18	Matsuoka Yōsuke 松岡洋右	22 July 1940	28 September 1940	2nd Konoe
19	Akita Kiyoshi 秋田清	28 September 1940	18 July 1941	2nd Konoe
20	Toyoda Teijirō 豊田貞次郎	18 July 1941	18 October 1941	3rd Konoe
21	Tōgō Shigenori 東郷茂徳	18 October 1941	2 December 1941	Tōjō
22	Ino Hiroya 井野碩哉	2 December 1941	2 November 1942	Tōjō