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Kenji Miyamoto (politician)
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese politician
who led the Japanese Communist Party
(JCP) from 1958 until 1977.
.
Miyamoto attended and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, which is now called the University of Tokyo
, where he majored in economics
.
in 1931. Miyamoto was arrested by Japanese military police in 1933 and accused of conspiring to beat a policeman to death in a crackdown on Japanese Communists. He denied that he had committed the crime. Miyamoto was convicted of the conspiracy
charges and sentenced to life in prison. He was released 12 years later after Japan surrendered, ending World War II
in 1945. His prison sentence had been annulled following an imperial decree by Emperor Hirohito.
Miyamoto reentered politics soon after his release from prison and once again became involved with the Japanese Communist Party. He led the Communist's 1949 election campaign, which saw the JCP win 35 seats. The JCP lost ground in 1950, just before the start of the Korean War
, just across the Sea of Japan
. Gen. Douglas MacArthur
, the American supreme commander
of the Allied powers in Japan, banned Miyamoto and 23 other high ranking JCP members from holding public office.
Miyamoto became head of the JCP in 1958. That same year, Miyamoto publicly renounced his previous calls for a violent Communist revolution
in Japan.
Instead, he and the JCP now switched to a peaceful stance, which Miyamoto called "Smiling Communism." The party under Miyamoto began emphasizing issues such as housing, inflation and ducation. Miyamoto further mainstreamed the JCP throughout his term. He oversaw the removal of the phrase "proletarian dictatorship" following the JCP convention in 1976 and replaced it with a declaration supporting democracy and freedom. The party has continued with this platform that Miyamoto began up to the present day.
The JCP rebounded under Miyamoto from its leaders' partial ban in 1950, despite its opposition to the existence of the Japanese Imperial Family, which made the party unpopular with many Japanese. The JCP reached its electoral zenith in 1979 when it captured 8% of the seats in Japan's lower house of Parliament
, the House of Representatives
.
Miyamoto was known for his independent views. He visited China
in 1966 and called the Cultural Revolution
"abnormal." He was noted for his outspoken condemnation of the 1968 Soviet Union
invasion of Czechoslovakia
. Miyamoto also opposed the close alliance between Japan and the United States
. Following the fall of Communism in eastern Europe
, Miyamoto stated that it was a defeat for Stalinism
and the Soviet backed governments, but not for Socialism
.
Miyamoto stepped down as leader of the JCP in 1977. He was succeeded as presidium chairman by Tetsuzo Fuwa in 1982. Miyamoto remained active within the JCP and continued to hold the post of chairman until his official retirement in September 1997. He held an honorary position from 1997 until his death in 2007.
Miyamoto died in Tokyo
on July 18, 2007. He was 98 years old.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who led the Japanese Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
(JCP) from 1958 until 1977.
Early life
Kenji Miyamoto was born in Japan in 1908. He was originally from Yamaguchi PrefectureYamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
.
Miyamoto attended and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, which is now called the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
, where he majored in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
.
Japanese Communist Party
Kenji Miyamoto officially joined the Japanese Communist PartyJapanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
in 1931. Miyamoto was arrested by Japanese military police in 1933 and accused of conspiring to beat a policeman to death in a crackdown on Japanese Communists. He denied that he had committed the crime. Miyamoto was convicted of the conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
charges and sentenced to life in prison. He was released 12 years later after Japan surrendered, ending World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1945. His prison sentence had been annulled following an imperial decree by Emperor Hirohito.
Miyamoto reentered politics soon after his release from prison and once again became involved with the Japanese Communist Party. He led the Communist's 1949 election campaign, which saw the JCP win 35 seats. The JCP lost ground in 1950, just before the start of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, just across the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, the American supreme commander
Supreme Commander
Supreme Commander may refer to:* Commander-in-chief, a military rank**Supreme Allied Commander, title held by the most senior commander within certain multinational military alliances...
of the Allied powers in Japan, banned Miyamoto and 23 other high ranking JCP members from holding public office.
Miyamoto became head of the JCP in 1958. That same year, Miyamoto publicly renounced his previous calls for a violent Communist revolution
Communist revolution
A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism, typically with socialism as an intermediate stage...
in Japan.
Instead, he and the JCP now switched to a peaceful stance, which Miyamoto called "Smiling Communism." The party under Miyamoto began emphasizing issues such as housing, inflation and ducation. Miyamoto further mainstreamed the JCP throughout his term. He oversaw the removal of the phrase "proletarian dictatorship" following the JCP convention in 1976 and replaced it with a declaration supporting democracy and freedom. The party has continued with this platform that Miyamoto began up to the present day.
The JCP rebounded under Miyamoto from its leaders' partial ban in 1950, despite its opposition to the existence of the Japanese Imperial Family, which made the party unpopular with many Japanese. The JCP reached its electoral zenith in 1979 when it captured 8% of the seats in Japan's lower house of Parliament
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
, the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
.
Miyamoto was known for his independent views. He visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1966 and called the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
"abnormal." He was noted for his outspoken condemnation of the 1968 Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
invasion of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Miyamoto also opposed the close alliance between Japan and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Following the fall of Communism in eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, Miyamoto stated that it was a defeat for Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
and the Soviet backed governments, but not for Socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
.
Miyamoto stepped down as leader of the JCP in 1977. He was succeeded as presidium chairman by Tetsuzo Fuwa in 1982. Miyamoto remained active within the JCP and continued to hold the post of chairman until his official retirement in September 1997. He held an honorary position from 1997 until his death in 2007.
Miyamoto died in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
on July 18, 2007. He was 98 years old.