Yoshio Kodama
Yoshio Kodama | |
|---|---|
児玉 誉士夫 | |
Mug shot of Kodama while he was held as a suspected war criminal in Sugamo Prison, 1946 | |
| Born | February 18, 1911 |
| Died | January 17, 1984 (aged 72) Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Political fixer, smuggler, businessman, spy |
| Spouse | Sayoko (1940–1958) |
| Children | Hagiwara Kichitaro (eldest son) (児玉博隆), Morihiro Kodama (third son) (児玉守弘) |
| Criminal charge | Suspected war criminal, bribery |
| Penalty | A total of six and half years in prisons |
.png){kind=link}
Yoshio Kodama (児玉 誉士夫, Kodama Yoshio; February 18, 1911 – January 17, 1984) was a Japanese right-wing ultranationalist and a prominent figure in the rise of organized crime in Japan. The most famous kuromaku, or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century, he was active in Japan's political arena and criminal underworld from the 1930s to the 1970s, and became enormously wealthy through his involvement in smuggling operations.