Kijūrō Shidehara

Kijūrō Shidehara
幣原 喜重郎
Prime Minister of Japan
In office
9 October 1945  22 May 1946
MonarchHirohito
GovernorDouglas MacArthur
Preceded byNaruhiko Higashikuni
Succeeded byShigeru Yoshida
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
11 February 1949  10 March 1951
MonarchHirohito
DeputyNobuyuki Iwamoto
Preceded byKomakichi Matsuoka
Succeeded byJōji Hayashi
Ministerial offices
Deputy Prime Minister of Japan
In office
3 May 1947  24 May 1947
Prime MinisterShigeru Yoshida
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byHitoshi Ashida
Director-General of the Demobilization Agency
In office
15 June 1946  24 May 1947
Prime MinisterShigeru Yoshida
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJunzō Sasamori
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
2 July 1929  13 December 1931
Prime MinisterHamaguchi Osachi
Wakatsuki Reijirō
Preceded byTanaka Giichi
Succeeded byInukai Tsuyoshi
In office
11 June 1924  20 April 1927
Prime MinisterKatō Takaaki
Wakatsuki Reijirō
Preceded byMatsui Keishirō
Succeeded byTanaka Giichi
Acting Prime Minister of Japan
In office
14 November 1930  10 March 1931
MonarchHirohito
Preceded byHamaguchi Osachi
Succeeded byHamaguchi Osachi
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
26 April 1947  10 March 1951
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byMulti-member district
ConstituencyOsaka 3rd
Member of the House of Peers
In office
29 January 1926  25 April 1947
Personal details
Born(1872-09-13)13 September 1872
Sakai, Nara, Empire of Japan
(now Kadoma, Osaka, Japan)
Died10 March 1951(1951-03-10) (aged 78)
Setagaya, Tokyo, Allied-occupied Japan
Political partyDemocratic Liberal
(1948–1950)
Other political
affiliations
Independent (before 1945)
Progressive (1945–1947)
Democratic (1947)
Dōshi Club (1947–1948)
Spouse
Masako Shidehara
(m. 1903)
RelativesIwasaki Yatarō (father-in-law)
Katō Takaaki (brother-in-law)
Kiuchi Jūshirō (brother-in-law)
Alma materTokyo Imperial University
Signature

Baron Kijūrō Shidehara (幣原 喜重郎, Shidehara Kijūrō; 13 September 1872 10 March 1951) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1945 to 1946. He was a leading proponent of pacifism in Japan before and after World War II.

Born to a wealthy Osaka family, Shidehara studied law at Tokyo Imperial University and graduated in 1895. He then joined the foreign service and held postings in Korea, Europe, and the United States, serving as ambassador to the latter from 1919 to 1922. Shidehara served as foreign minister from 1924 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1931, and favored a non-interventionist policy in China. As prime minister after World War II, Shidehara set into motion many of the occupation reforms. After his tenure, he served as the president of the Progressive Party and as an adviser to Shigeru Yoshida. He was elected to the National Diet in 1947 and joined the Liberal Party, and from 1949 to 1951 served as speaker of the House of Representatives.