Katayama Cabinet
Katayama Cabinet | |
|---|---|
 46th Cabinet of Japan | |
 The Katayama Cabinet on June 1, 1947. | |
| Date formed | May 24, 1947 |
| Date dissolved | March 10, 1948 |
| People and organisations | |
| Emperor | Shōwa |
| Prime Minister | Tetsu Katayama |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Hitoshi Ashida (from June 1, 1947) |
| Member party | Japan Socialist Party Democratic Party National Cooperative Party |
| Status in legislature | Majority (coalition) |
| Opposition party | Liberal Party Japanese Communist Party Japan Farmers Party |
| History | |
| Elections | 1947 councillors election 1947 Japanese general election |
| Legislature term | 2nd National Diet |
| Predecessor | First Yoshida Cabinet |
| Successor | Ashida Cabinet |
The Katayama Cabinet (片山内閣, Katayama naikaku) governed Japan under the leadership of Prime Minister Tetsu Katayama from May 1947 to March 1948. It was the first cabinet under the postwar constitution.
Cabinet
The Japan Socialist Party (Nihon Shakaitō, JSP) had emerged as strongest party from both the 23rd lower house election and the 1st upper house election. However, the formation of a coalition proved difficult as any majority coalition would involve at least two of the three largest parties. While the Socialists offered the conservative Japan Liberal Party (Nihon Jiyūtō, JLP) of incumbent prime minister Shigeru Yoshida a grand coalition, Yoshida refused active participation in the government. Under the new constitution, the prime minister was no longer selected by the Emperor, but elected by the Diet, "before the conduct of any other business" – and the Socialists pushed for an early vote to prevent the other two major parties from excluding them from a ruling coalition: on May 23, Socialist Tetsu Katayama was elected almost unopposed (420 votes of 426 present in the House of Representatives, 205 of 207 in the House of Councillors) while the coalition negotiations were still in progress. When Katayama formally became prime minister on May 24 after his ceremonial investiture by the Emperor, he technically held all ministerial posts – a so-called "one-man cabinet" (hitori naikaku, 一人内閣). The JLP still refused cooperation, and the JSP eventually agreed on a coalition with the Democratic Party (Minshutō) and the National Cooperative Party (Kokumin Kyōdōtō). Together, the three parties held a solid majority in the HR, and were able to control the HC given the fact that the largest group there, the Ryokufūkai formed by independents, was willing to support the government. The other cabinet members were eventually appointed on June 1. The cabinet initially consisted of seven Socialists (including the prime minister), eight Democrats, two Cooperativists and one Ryokufūkai member.
After conflicts over price controls and taxes, the left wing of the Socialist Party threatened to block the budget for fiscal 1948 (begins in April), and in February 1948, Katayama resigned. Deputy prime minister Hitoshi Ashida was elected on February 21 to succeed him, the Katayama Cabinet remained in office until his investiture on March 10. The three-party coalition of Socialists, Democrats and Cooperativists continued under Democrat Ashida, however the Ashida Cabinet would be engulfed by the largest corruption scandal of the occupation period and last even shorter.
| Portfolio | Name | Political party | Term start | Term end | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Tetsu Katayama | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Hitoshi Ashida | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Hitoshi Ashida | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Home Affairs | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Kozaemon Kimura | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | December 31, 1947 | ||
| Minister of Finance | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Yano Shōtarō | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | June 25, 1947 | ||
| Takeo Kurusu | Independent | June 25, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Justice | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Suzuki Yoshio | Socialist | June 1, 1947 | February 15, 1948 | ||
| Attorney General | Suzuki Yoshio | Socialist | February 15, 1948 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister of Education | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Morito Tatsuo | Socialist | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Health | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Hitotsumatsu Sadayoshi | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Hirano Rikizō | Socialist | June 1, 1947 | November 4, 1947 | ||
| Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | November 4, 1947 | December 13, 1947 | ||
| Hatano Kanae | Socialist | December 13, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Commerce and Industry | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Mizutani Chōzaburō | Socialist | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Transport | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Tomabechi Gizō | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | December 4, 1947 | ||
| Kitamura Tokutarō | Democratic | December 4, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Communications | Tetsu Katayama (acting) | Socialist | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | |
| Takeo Miki | National Cooperative | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of Labor | Yonekubo Mitsusuke | Socialist | September 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister of State
Director-General of the Economic Stabilization Board |
Vacant | May 24, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | ||
| Wada Hirō | Independent | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of State
Chief of the Price Board |
Vacant | May 24, 1947 | May 27, 1947 | ||
| Tetsu Katayama | Socialist | May 27, 1947 | June 1, 1947 | ||
| Wada Hirō | Independent | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Minister of State
President of the Demobilization Board (from June 1, 1947 until October 15, 1947) Director-General of the Board of Reparations (from February 1, 1948) |
Sasamori Junzō | National Cooperative | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister of State
President of the Administrative Research Board |
Saitō Takao | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister of State
Chairman of the Local Finance Committee (from January 7, 1948) |
Takeda Giichi | Democratic | December 4, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister of State
President of the Construction Board |
Kozaemon Kimura | Democratic | January 1, 1948 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Minister of State | Hayashi Heima | Democratic | June 1, 1947 | November 25, 1947 | |
| Minister of State | Yonekubo Mitsusuke | Socialist | June 1, 1947 | September 1, 1947 | |
| Minister of State | Suehiro Nishio | Socialist | June 1, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau | Satō Tatsuo [ja] | Independent | June 14, 1947 | February 15, 1948 | |
| Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary | Takikawa Sueichi | Socialist | June 10, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | |
| Sone Eki | Independent | June 17, 1947 | March 10, 1948 | ||
| Source:[1] | |||||
References
- Kantei, Japanese Cabinet: Katayama Cabinet (in Japanese)
- Kohno, Masaru (1997): Japan's Postwar Party Politics. Princeton, pp. 49–67, "Chapter 4: Coalition building under the pre-1955 multiparty system".
