Ichizo Kobayashi
Encyclopedia
, occasionally referred to by his pseudonym Itsuō (逸翁), was a Japan
ese industrialist. He is best known as the founder of Hankyu Railway
and Takarazuka Revue
. He was a supporter of right-wing doctrine and represented Japanese capital in government.
in 1873. His was named Ichizō, meaning "one-three", because of his birthday, January 3. He graduated from Keio Gijuku
in 1892.
After 14 years' career at the Mitsui Bank
, he founded (technically as one of the promoters/executive directors) Mino-o Arima Electric Railway Company (then Hankyu Corp.
, now, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
, Inc.) in 1907. At Hankyu, Kobayashi made success in the management of the railway in a less-populated region by developing residential areas and an amusement park along the railway line as well as a department store at the railway terminal. He also established the Takarazuka Revue and the Hankyu professional baseball team (the predecessors of Orix Buffaloes
) to attract passengers. Such a business model established by Kobayashi was followed by other railway companies in Japan.
Later Kobayashi was president of council of Tokyo Gasu Denki (Tokyo Gas and Electric). He was appointed in charge of Minister of Commerce and Industry in the 1940 Konoye Cabinet.
He joined the Taisei Yokusankai
Group, with Shozo Murata
and Akira Kazami
. They supported a new political and economic militarist-socialist program. Kobayashi admired Adolf Hitler
's policies; he was interviewed by the press during a business visit to Germany
. He stood for capitalist interests in Japan's
incursions into Asia and a totalitarian right-socialist government.
After the end of the World War II
, he was appointed the cabinet minister of the Shidehara
cabinet and became the president of the , but he was soon purge
d due to his prewar political career. The purge was lifted in 1951.
Kobayashi died in January 1957. The Itsuō Art Museum in Ikeda, Osaka
opened in October 1957 and is dedicated for his art collection.
to lead a diplomatic mission to the Dutch East Indies
in 1940. Negotiations were for a new agreement on Dutch oil. On September 12, 1940, a Japanese delegation of 24, led by Kobayashi as the Minister of Commerce and Industry, arrived in Batavia
to renegotiate political and economic relations between Japan and the Dutch East Indies
. Included were six high-ranking military officers, one of them Rear Admiral
Tadashi Maeda.
The Dutch Embassy in Japan did not actively take part, although the Dutch Ambassador in Tokyo, J .C. Pabst, had already received the first list of Japanese economic demands in June 1940. Later, all further negotiations were to conducted via the Dutch colonial administration in Batavia, and received support from the Japanese Consulate General, in the persons of Matatoshi Saito (before 1941) and later by Yutaka Ishizawa.
Their first demand was an increase of petrol exports to Japan from the existing 570,000 tons in 1939 to 3,750,000 tons, about 50% of the total Dutch East Indies production. The Dutch answered that existing obligations would only permit an increase to about 1,800,000 tons. Kobayashi initially accepted this proposal, but was soon recalled to Japan on October 2, 1940.
In a book -Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor
written by Robert Stinnett
:
Another diplomatic commission was then led by Kenkichi Yoshizawa
.
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 industrialist. He is best known as the founder of Hankyu Railway
Hankyu Railway
is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
and Takarazuka Revue
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
. He was a supporter of right-wing doctrine and represented Japanese capital in government.
Career
Kobayashi was born in Nirasaki, YamanashiNirasaki, Yamanashi
is a city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 31,963, with 12,446 households and a population density of 222.38 persons per km². The total area is 143.73 km².The city was founded on October 10, 1954....
in 1873. His was named Ichizō, meaning "one-three", because of his birthday, January 3. He graduated from Keio Gijuku
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
in 1892.
After 14 years' career at the Mitsui Bank
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
is a Japanese bank based in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is a member of the Sumitomo Group and Mitsui Group. As of the year 2009, SMBC was the second largest bank in Japan in terms of assets.-History:...
, he founded (technically as one of the promoters/executive directors) Mino-o Arima Electric Railway Company (then Hankyu Corp.
Hankyu Railway
is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
, now, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
is a stockholding company which owns Hankyu Corporation, Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd. and affiliate companies.On October 1, 2006, Hankyu Holdings changed its name to the present corporate name following the merger with Hanshin Electric Railway...
, Inc.) in 1907. At Hankyu, Kobayashi made success in the management of the railway in a less-populated region by developing residential areas and an amusement park along the railway line as well as a department store at the railway terminal. He also established the Takarazuka Revue and the Hankyu professional baseball team (the predecessors of Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
) to attract passengers. Such a business model established by Kobayashi was followed by other railway companies in Japan.
Later Kobayashi was president of council of Tokyo Gasu Denki (Tokyo Gas and Electric). He was appointed in charge of Minister of Commerce and Industry in the 1940 Konoye Cabinet.
He joined the Taisei Yokusankai
Taisei Yokusankai
The was Japan's para-fascist organization created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on October 12, 1940 to promote the goals of his Shintaisei movement...
Group, with Shozo Murata
Shozo Murata
was a Japanese entrepreneur, cabinet minister and diplomat before, during and after World War II.- Biography :Murata was a native of Tokyo and a graduate of the Tokyo Higher Commerce School . After graduation, he went to work with the Osaka Shosen Kaisha was a Japanese entrepreneur, cabinet...
and Akira Kazami
Akira Kazami
Akira Kazami was a Japanese politician. From no great prominence, he was made secretary-General of the first cabinet of Prince Konoe, in 1937...
. They supported a new political and economic militarist-socialist program. Kobayashi admired Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's policies; he was interviewed by the press during a business visit to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He stood for capitalist interests in Japan's
incursions into Asia and a totalitarian right-socialist government.
After the end of the 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...
, he was appointed the cabinet minister of the Shidehara
Kijuro Shidehara
Baron was a prominent pre–World War II Japanese diplomat and the 44th Prime Minister of Japan from 9 October 1945 to 22 May 1946. He was a leading proponent of pacifism in Japan before and after World War II, and was also the last Japanese prime minister who was a member of the kazoku...
cabinet and became the president of the , but he was soon purge
Purge
In history, religion, and political science, a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, from another organization, or from society as a whole. Purges can be peaceful or violent; many will end with the imprisonment or exile of those purged,...
d due to his prewar political career. The purge was lifted in 1951.
Kobayashi died in January 1957. The Itsuō Art Museum in Ikeda, Osaka
Ikeda, Osaka
is a city located in Osaka, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 104,704 and a density of 4,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.09 km²....
opened in October 1957 and is dedicated for his art collection.
Kobayashi diplomatic mission, September 1940
Ichizo Kobayashi was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign AffairsMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
to lead a diplomatic mission to the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
in 1940. Negotiations were for a new agreement on Dutch oil. On September 12, 1940, a Japanese delegation of 24, led by Kobayashi as the Minister of Commerce and Industry, arrived in Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
to renegotiate political and economic relations between Japan and the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. Included were six high-ranking military officers, one of them Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Tadashi Maeda.
The Dutch Embassy in Japan did not actively take part, although the Dutch Ambassador in Tokyo, J .C. Pabst, had already received the first list of Japanese economic demands in June 1940. Later, all further negotiations were to conducted via the Dutch colonial administration in Batavia, and received support from the Japanese Consulate General, in the persons of Matatoshi Saito (before 1941) and later by Yutaka Ishizawa.
Their first demand was an increase of petrol exports to Japan from the existing 570,000 tons in 1939 to 3,750,000 tons, about 50% of the total Dutch East Indies production. The Dutch answered that existing obligations would only permit an increase to about 1,800,000 tons. Kobayashi initially accepted this proposal, but was soon recalled to Japan on October 2, 1940.
In a book -Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor
Day of Deceit
Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor is a book by Robert Stinnett alleging that the Roosevelt administration deliberately provoked and allowed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in order to bring the United States into World War II...
written by Robert Stinnett
Robert Stinnett
Robert B. Stinnett is a former American sailor who earned ten battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. He is the author of Day of Deceit, regarding U.S. government advance knowledge of the World War II Pearl Harbor attack.-Biography:...
:
The heated diplomatic interchanges between Kobayashi and van Mook (H.J. van Mook, Dutch minister) were in sharp contrast to the peaceful surroundings. Japan's diplomats angrily contended that the Nertherlands delegates were mere puppets of Washington. On the table were proposals involving Japanese rights to obtain oil and petroleum products from Holland's enormous reserves in the Dutch East Indies. Japan called for the Dutch to provide a minimum of 3,150,000 metric tons of petroleum annually. One of the delegates, Japanese minister of commerce Ichizo Kobayashi, demanded that the Dutch guarantee a delivery schedule covering a five-year period. Kobayashi expressed the attitude of his government: The Netherlands has been closely co-operating with United Kingdom and the United States. Now is the time to shake hands with Japan.
Another diplomatic commission was then led by Kenkichi Yoshizawa
Kenkichi Yoshizawa
was a diplomat in the Empire of Japan, serving as 46th Foreign Minister of Japan in 1932.-Biography:Yoshizawa was a native of what is now part of Joetsu city, Niigata prefecture. He was a graduate of the English literature department of Tokyo University and entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
.