was a Japan

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...

 and the 46th Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Japan

The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...

 from May 24, 1947 to March 10, 1948.

Early life

He was born in Tanabe

Tanabe, Wakayama

is the second biggest city in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008 , the city has an estimated population of 80,398 and a density of 78.3 persons per km². The total area is 1026.77 km². The city was founded on May 20, 1942.Tanabe is on the coast and surrounded by mountains...

, Wakayama Prefecture

Wakayama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...

, and attended Tokyo Imperial University. Raised in the Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 faith, he was strongly influenced by the Christian Socialism

Christian socialism

Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...

 of Abe Isō

Abe Iso

was a well known Japanese Christian socialist, parliamentarian and pacifist.Abe was born in Fukuoka, and studied at Doshisha University and abroad, including at the University of Berlin, before becoming a Unitarian preacher. He taught at the Waseda University from 1899...

. After graduating, he opened a law office in a rented YMCA

YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

 dormitory, and worked as an attorney

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

.

Early political life

Katayama joined the Japan Socialist Party and was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

, in 1930. He became known as a leader of the "social democratic wing" of the party, and joined Abe Isoo and Nishio Suehiro in opposing the expulsion of Saitō Takao

Saito Takao

was a Japanese politician and longtime member of the Imperial Diet from Hyōgo Prefecture. He was a member of the Rikken Minseito party. On February 2, 1940, he made a speech in which he sharply questioned the prosecution and justification of Japan's "holy war" in China. For this, he was expelled...

.

Prime Minister and later life

In 1945, Katayama became secretary general and committee chairman of the party. Following the 1947 elections, in which the Socialist Party came in first, Katayama formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party and the Citizens' Cooperation Party. Despite being a short-lived administration, Katayama's government was responsible for the enactment of a wide range of progressive social reforms, such as the establishment of Japans first Labour Ministry, an Unemployment Compensation Act and an Unemployment Insurance Act, and the overhaul revision of the Civil Code, whose section on the family institution was completely rewritten (to provide, for instance the eldest son a greater inheritance share). The Law for the Elimination of Excessive Economic Concentration (passed in December 1947) provided for the dissolution of any company considered to be monopolistic, In addition, the “law on the expulsion of Zaibatsu-affiliated controls” of January 1948 enforced the resignation of Zaibatsu board members who were related closely to Zaibatsu families, while a measure was taken to ban on holding the concurrent board posts of their affiliated companies.

The influence of left-wing socialists such as Suzuki Mosaburō

Suzuki Mosaburo

was a Japanese journalist, essayist, and socialist leader.He was born in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, to a family descended from medieval hatamoto; however, his father had lost the family's fortune, and as a result Suzuki was forced to work his way through school. He attended Waseda University and...

 forced Katayama to resign early in his term. After his resignation, Katayama became a member of the Democratic Socialist Party

Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)

The was a social democratic party in Japan.- History :The Democratic Socialist Party was established in 1960 by a breakaway group of the Japan Socialist Party. It was made up of many members of the former Rightist Socialist Party of Japan, a moderate social-democratic faction that existed...

 and advocated the maintenance of the pacifist constitution, election reform, and formation of a global commonwealth.

He bears the distinction of having been the first socialist to serve as Prime Minister of Japan.