Saitō Makoto Information & Saitō Makoto Links at HealthHaven.com

Saitō Makoto
斎藤実
	Saitō Makoto; 斎藤実
	;
	Prime Minister of Japan
	In office; 26 May 1932 – 8 July 1934
Monarch	Shōwa
Preceded by	Korekiyo Takahashi (Acting)
Succeeded by	Keisuke Okada
	Governor General of Korea
	In office; 17 August 1929 – 17 June 1931
Monarch	Shōwa
Preceded by	Hanzō Yamanashi
Succeeded by	Kazushige Ugaki
	In office; 1 December 1927 – 10 December 1927
Monarch	Shōwa
Preceded by	Kazushige Ugaki (Acting)
Succeeded by	Hanzō Yamanashi
	In office; 12 August 1919 – 14 April 1927
Monarch	Taishō; Shōwa
Preceded by	Yoshimichi Hasegawa
Succeeded by	Kazushige Ugaki (Acting)
Born	27 October 1858; Mizusawa, Tokugawa
Died	26 February 1936 (aged 77); Tokyo, Japan
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
	Military service
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1879–1928
Rank	Admiral
Commands	Akitsushima; Itsukushima
Battles/wars	First Sino-Japanese War; Russo-Japanese War; World War I
Awards	Order of the Chrysanthemum; Order of the Bath (Honourary Knight Grand Cross)

In this Japanese name, the family name is Saitō.

Viscount Saitō Makoto, GCB (斎藤実, Saitō Makoto^?, October 27, 1858 – February 26, 1936^[1]) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, two-time Governor-General of Korea from 1919 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1931, and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from May 26, 1932 to 8 July 8, 1934.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Saitō was born in Mizusawa domain, Mutsu Province (present day Ōshū City Iwate Prefecture), as the son of a samurai of the Mizusawa Clan. In 1879, he graduated from the 6th class Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, ranking third out of a class of 17 cadets.

[edit] Military career

In 1884, Saitō went to the United States for four years to study as a military attaché.In 1888, after returning to Japan, he served as a member of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff.

After his promotion to lieutenant commander on December 20, 1893, he served as executive officer on the cruiser Izumi and battleship Fuji.

During the First Sino-Japanese War, Saitō served as captain of the cruisers Akitsushima and Itsukushima. On November 10, 1898, he became Vice Minister of the Navy, and was promoted to rear admiral on May 20, 1900^[2]

[edit] Political career

Saitō was again Vice Navy Minister at the start of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. He was promoted to Vice Admiral on June 6, 1904. After the end of the war, he served as Navy Minister for 6 years, from 1906-1912, during which time he continually strove for expansion of the navy.

On September 21, 1907, Saitō was ennobled with the title of danshaku (baron) under the kazoku peerage system. On October 16, 1912, he was promoted to full admiral. However, on April 16, 1914, Saitō was forced to resign from his posts in the navy due implications of his involvement in the Siemens scandal, and officially entered the reserves.

In 1919, Saitō was appointed as the third Japanese Governor-General of Korea, a post which he held for many years. He was appointed just after the Samil Independence Movement, and implemented a series of measures to moderate the policies of Japanese rule. He served as governor-general of Korea twice (from 1919–27, and again from 1929–31). On April 29, 1925, his title was elevated to that of shishaku (viscount).

In 1927, Saitō was a member of the Japanese delegation at the Geneva Naval Conference on Disarmament, and he later became a privy councillor.

[edit] Prime Minister

Following the assassination of Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi on May 15, 1932 by fanatical navy officers who thought Inukai far too conciliatory (the May 15 Incident), Prince Saionji Kinmochi, one of the Emperor's closest and strongest advisors, attempted to stop the slide towards a military take-over of the government. In a compromise move, Saitō was chosen to be Inukai's successor. Sadao Araki remained as War Minister and immediately began making demands on the new government. During Saitō tenure, Japan recognized the independence of Manchukuo, and withdrew from the League of Nations.

Saitō's administration was one of the longer-serving ones of the inter-war period, and it continued until July 8, 1934; when the cabinet resigned en masse because of the Teijin Incident bribery scandal. Keisuke Okada succeeded as prime minister.

Saitō continued to be an important figure in politics as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from December 26, 1935 but was assassinated during the February 26 Incident of 1936 at his home in Yotsuya, Tokyo.

Saitō was posthumously awarded Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

[edit] References

[edit] Books

Bix, Herbert B. (2001). Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-06-093130-2.
Brendon, Piers (2002). The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s. Vintage; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-375-70808-1.
Gordon, Andrew (2003). A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195110617.
Jansen, Marius B (2002). The Making of Modern Japan. Belknap Press. ISBN 0674009916.
Sims, Richard (2001). Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868-2000. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0312239157.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Makoto Saito

[edit] External links

Nishida, Hiroshi. "Materials of IJN: Saito Makoto". Imperial Japanese Navy. http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px06.htm#a001. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
Republic of Korea

[edit] Notes

^ Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy
^ Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy.

Political offices
Preceded by Gonbee Yamamoto	Minister of the Navy 1906–1914	Succeeded by Rokurō Yashiro
Preceded by Yoshimichi Hasegawa	Governor General of Korea 1919–1927	Succeeded by Kazushige Ugaki Acting
Preceded by Kazushige Ugaki Acting	Governor General of Korea 1927	Succeeded by Hanzō Yamanashi
Preceded by Hanzō Yamanashi	Governor General of Korea 1929–1931	Succeeded by Kazushige Ugaki
Preceded by Korekiyo Takahashi Acting	Prime Minister of Japan 1932–1934	Succeeded by Keisuke Okada
Preceded by Kenkichi Yoshizawa	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1932	Succeeded by Kosai Uchida

[0] Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy

[1] Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy.

[1]

[2]

Contents