Yoshida Shigeru
A Dictionary of World History | Date: 2000
Yoshida Shigeru (1878–1967) Japanese statesman. A liberal-conservative politician whose appointment as Foreign Minister had been blocked in 1936 by militarist interests, he was imprisoned for advocating surrender in the closing stages of World War II. He emerged after the war as the leader of the Liberal party. As Prime Minister (1946–47; 1949–54), Yoshida was a major architect of Japan's political rehabilitation and socio-economic recovery, working closely with
MACARTHUR and espousing pro-Western policies.
© A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000.
