Yukio Ozaki
Encyclopedia
was a liberal
Japan
ese politician
, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa
. Ozaki served in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet for 63 years, from 1890-1953. He is still revered in Japan as the "God of constitutional politics" and the "father of the Japanese Constitution."
, in the Sagami hills, thirty-five miles west of Edo (present-day Tokyo
). The three Ozaki children were born there -- Yukio in 1858, Yukitaka in 1865 and Yukitake in 1866 -- just as Japan was opening herself up to the western world.
Ozaki began his career as a student at Keio Gijuku, before becoming chief editor of the Niigata
Shimbun (Niigata Newspaper) at the age of 20. At 22 he returned to Tokyo and was given an appointment at the Bureau of Statistics. He was elected to the Tokyo Prefectural Assembly in 1885, before being expelled from Tokyo in 1887 for 3 years.
Yukio and and his brother Yukitaka went to the United States in 1888 but Yukio could not endure the temperature extremes and could not sleep in the heat of New York City or Washington, D.C. He sailed to England en route to returning to Japan and was elected to his first term in the Japanese Imperial Diet
. He would serve in that position for more than 62 years, becoming one of history's longest-serving parliamentarians.
In 1890, Ozaki was elected to the First Parliament as a member of the House of Representatives from Mie prefecture
; and he was re-elected 25 times. During these years, he was named to a number of cabinet posts. In 1898 he was Minister of Education 1898, a position which he had to resign due to a speech which conservative elements in the Diet considered to have promoted republicanism
; his resignation did not end the crisis, which culminated with the fall of PM Ōkuma Shigenobu
and a split in the then-ruling Kenseitō
Party. Later on, in 1914, he was Minister of Justice. He is nicknamed "the god of constitutionalism" (kensei no kami) and "the father of parliamentary government".
He married teacher and folklore author Yei Theodora Ozaki
, who was not related to him despite sharing the same surname as her maiden name. For many years, her letters were frequently delivered by mistake to him, and his to her. In 1904, after the death of his first wife, the two met and married. Among the couple's three daughters is Yukika Sohma, who became Japan's first simultaneous English/Japanese translator. This daughter claims to represent her father's legacy because, as she explains it, she is only following in her father's footsteps as president of Japan's Association for Aid and Relief (AAR Japan), one of the network of co-laureate organizations honored with the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize
.
Ozaki was opposed to militarism
; and was sometimes confined by the authorities for expressing unpopular views. He could also applaud those whose beliefs differed from his own. For example, in 1921, would-be assassins rushed into his house while he hid in the garden with his daughter, Yukika. The father of one of these dangerous young men later approached Ozaki to apologize in person for the actions of his son. Ozaki immediately responded by with a 32-syllable tanka poem, which he handed to the surprised man:
He was especially active in the struggle for universal manhood suffrage, which was established in 1925. During the 1930s, as an independent politician, he criticised the growing influence of the Japanese military and advocated the vote for women. He was imprisoned during both world wars. Hailed as a political hero after World War II, he was involved in anti-war and pro-democratic activities until his death.
As the second elected Mayor of Tokyo after its administration was separated from the surround prefecture, he found himself in an arduous and sometimes disagreeable job—but his determination to make the city better produced noticeable results. Initial infrastructure projects which demanded his attention were wide-ranging: improving water supply and sewage, developing street surfacing, expanding streetcar service, and overseeing gas company mergers. His mayoral position also provided the more ambiguous range opportunities which attended entertaining foreign dignitaries like US Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan
and Britain's Field Marshal Lord Kitchener
.
The City of Tokyo presented cherry tree saplings to the City of Washington, D.C. in 1912. The annual display of cherry blossoms on trees to be found in the West Potomac Park
surrounding the Tidal Basin in the US capital city are the results of Ozaki's persistence in furthering this project during a time when he was mayor of Tokyo. These flowering trees were the genesis of the continuing National Cherry Blossom Festival
in Washington, D.C. and in other states as well.
http://www.islands.ne.jp/8686/column/20010315.html
Ozaki's pen name was Ozaki Gakudo until he reliquished it in 1946 in exchange for "So-tsuō" (meaning "grand old man of ninety"), simply because he had attained the age of ninety. Starting in 1996, a yearly Gakudo Award has been "presented to individuals or organizations active in issues including the promotion of democracy, disarmament and human rights".
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
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...
, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa
Sagamihara, Kanagawa
is a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
. Ozaki served in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet for 63 years, from 1890-1953. He is still revered in Japan as the "God of constitutional politics" and the "father of the Japanese Constitution."
Career of public service
Ozaki was one of three children of Ozaki Yukimasa and his wife Sadako, who lived in the village of Matano, in the county of Tsukui, in Kanagawa PrefectureKanagawa 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 the Sagami hills, thirty-five miles west of Edo (present-day 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...
). The three Ozaki children were born there -- Yukio in 1858, Yukitaka in 1865 and Yukitake in 1866 -- just as Japan was opening herself up to the western world.
Ozaki began his career as a student at Keio Gijuku, before becoming chief editor of the Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
Shimbun (Niigata Newspaper) at the age of 20. At 22 he returned to Tokyo and was given an appointment at the Bureau of Statistics. He was elected to the Tokyo Prefectural Assembly in 1885, before being expelled from Tokyo in 1887 for 3 years.
Yukio and and his brother Yukitaka went to the United States in 1888 but Yukio could not endure the temperature extremes and could not sleep in the heat of New York City or Washington, D.C. He sailed to England en route to returning to Japan and was elected to his first term in the Japanese Imperial Diet
Diet
Diet, in relation to food, might mean:*Diet , the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group*Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake*Diet food, foods that aid in dieting...
. He would serve in that position for more than 62 years, becoming one of history's longest-serving parliamentarians.
In 1890, Ozaki was elected to the First Parliament as a member of the House of Representatives from Mie prefecture
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
; and he was re-elected 25 times. During these years, he was named to a number of cabinet posts. In 1898 he was Minister of Education 1898, a position which he had to resign due to a speech which conservative elements in the Diet considered to have promoted republicanism
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
; his resignation did not end the crisis, which culminated with the fall of PM Ōkuma Shigenobu
Okuma Shigenobu
Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...
and a split in the then-ruling Kenseitō
Kenseito
The was a political party in the Meiji period Empire of Japan.The Kenseitō was founded in June 1898, as a merger of the Shimpotō headed by Ōkuma Shigenobu and the Jiyūtō led by Itagaki Taisuke, with Ōkuma as party president. The merger gave the new party an overwhelming majority in the Lower House...
Party. Later on, in 1914, he was Minister of Justice. He is nicknamed "the god of constitutionalism" (kensei no kami) and "the father of parliamentary government".
He married teacher and folklore author Yei Theodora Ozaki
Yei Theodora Ozaki
Yei Theodora Ozaki was an early 20th century translator of Japanese short stories and fairy tales. Her translations were fairly liberal but have been popular, and were reprinted several times after her death.According to "A Biographical Sketch" by Mrs...
, who was not related to him despite sharing the same surname as her maiden name. For many years, her letters were frequently delivered by mistake to him, and his to her. In 1904, after the death of his first wife, the two met and married. Among the couple's three daughters is Yukika Sohma, who became Japan's first simultaneous English/Japanese translator. This daughter claims to represent her father's legacy because, as she explains it, she is only following in her father's footsteps as president of Japan's Association for Aid and Relief (AAR Japan), one of the network of co-laureate organizations honored with the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.
Ozaki was opposed to militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
; and was sometimes confined by the authorities for expressing unpopular views. He could also applaud those whose beliefs differed from his own. For example, in 1921, would-be assassins rushed into his house while he hid in the garden with his daughter, Yukika. The father of one of these dangerous young men later approached Ozaki to apologize in person for the actions of his son. Ozaki immediately responded by with a 32-syllable tanka poem, which he handed to the surprised man:
-
-
- If it was patriotism that drove the young man,
- My would-be assassin deserves honor for it.
-
He was especially active in the struggle for universal manhood suffrage, which was established in 1925. During the 1930s, as an independent politician, he criticised the growing influence of the Japanese military and advocated the vote for women. He was imprisoned during both world wars. Hailed as a political hero after World War II, he was involved in anti-war and pro-democratic activities until his death.
As the second elected Mayor of Tokyo after its administration was separated from the surround prefecture, he found himself in an arduous and sometimes disagreeable job—but his determination to make the city better produced noticeable results. Initial infrastructure projects which demanded his attention were wide-ranging: improving water supply and sewage, developing street surfacing, expanding streetcar service, and overseeing gas company mergers. His mayoral position also provided the more ambiguous range opportunities which attended entertaining foreign dignitaries like US Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
and Britain's Field Marshal Lord Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
.
The City of Tokyo presented cherry tree saplings to the City of Washington, D.C. in 1912. The annual display of cherry blossoms on trees to be found in the West Potomac Park
West Potomac Park
West Potomac Park is a U.S. national park in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Mall. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monument...
surrounding the Tidal Basin in the US capital city are the results of Ozaki's persistence in furthering this project during a time when he was mayor of Tokyo. These flowering trees were the genesis of the continuing National Cherry Blossom Festival
National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington...
in Washington, D.C. and in other states as well.
http://www.islands.ne.jp/8686/column/20010315.html
Ozaki's pen name was Ozaki Gakudo until he reliquished it in 1946 in exchange for "So-tsuō" (meaning "grand old man of ninety"), simply because he had attained the age of ninety. Starting in 1996, a yearly Gakudo Award has been "presented to individuals or organizations active in issues including the promotion of democracy, disarmament and human rights".
Honors
- Order of the Rising SunOrder of the Rising SunThe is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
. - Fifty years as Member of the Diet.
- Honorary Member of the Diet.
- Honorary Citizen of Tokyo.
- Special Resolution of the United States Senate.
See also
- Peace Preservation LawPeace Preservation LawThe Public Security Preservation Laws were a series of laws enacted during the Empire of Japan. Collectively, the laws were designed to suppress political dissent.-the Safety Preservation Law of 1894:...
- Rikken KaishintōRikken KaishintoThe was a political party in Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the ‘Kaishintō’.The Kaishintō was founded by Ōkuma Shigenobu on 16 April 1882, with the assistance of Yano Ryūsuke, Inukai Tsuyoshi and Ozaki Yukio. It received financial backing by the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, and had strong...
- KenseitōKenseitoThe was a political party in the Meiji period Empire of Japan.The Kenseitō was founded in June 1898, as a merger of the Shimpotō headed by Ōkuma Shigenobu and the Jiyūtō led by Itagaki Taisuke, with Ōkuma as party president. The merger gave the new party an overwhelming majority in the Lower House...
- Jokichi TakamineJokichi Takaminewas a Japanese chemist.-Early life and education:Takamine was born in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, in November 1854. His father was a doctor; his mother a member of a family of sake brewers. He spent his childhood in Kanazawa, capital of present-day Ishikawa Prefecture in central Honshū, and was...
External links
- National Conference of State Societies (US) -- see 1910 photo of Mr. and Mrs. Ozaki + 2007 photo of their daughter, Mrs. Yukika Sohma, speaking in Washington, D.C.
- Ohio dogwoods to Tokyo in 2000 mirrors Tokyo's gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C. (1908-1912)