Naotake Satō
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Naotake Satō | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| In office March 1937 – June 1937 |
|
| Preceded by | Senjūrō Hayashi |
| Succeeded by | Kōki Hirota |
|
|
|
| Born | October 30, 1882 Japan |
| Died | December 18, 1971 (aged 89) Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Spouse(s) | Fumi Satō |
Naotake Satō (佐藤尚武| Satō Naotake, born October 30, 1882 - died December 18, 1971) was a Japanese diplomat and politician. He was born at Osaka. He graduated from the Tokyo Higher Commercial School (東京高等商業学校| Tōkyō Kōtō Shōgyō Gakkō, now Hitotsubashi University) in 1904, attended the consul course of the same institute, and quit studying there in 1905.
[edit] Home political career
He was an active politician and diplomat. In 1905, he passed Foreign Service exam and started to work at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After serving as Mukden Consul General and executive secretary of London Naval Treaty, he served Imperial Japan’s Ambassador to Belgium in 1930 and to France in 1933. He became Minister of Foreign Affairs (Senjuro Hayashi Cabinet) on March 1937, and resigned on June 1937, then was assigned as Diplomatic Adviser, Foreign Office under 1st Fumimaro Konoye Cabinet and Hideki Tojo Cabinet. He had served as the last Imperial Japan’s Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. before the Soviet invasion of Manchuria since 1942 upon the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shigenori Tōgō. As Minister, he worked hard to avert war at the Imperial Diet. Allegedly, one of his missions as Japan’s Ambassador to the U.S.S.R. is to seek peace with Allies through the assistance of U.S.S.R. due to Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact under bad war condition for Imperial Japan. However, Satō judged and reported to Tokyo that it was unlikely that U.S.S.R. would assist Imperial Japan, because it was highly likely that Imperial Japan would lose war, and urged to end war as early as possible. He was invited to Kremlin by U.S.S.R. Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov on August 8, 1945, and received a declaration of war against Imperial Japan. After the war, he was elected as a member of House of Councillors of the National Diet of Japan in 1947, and served as a president of House of Councillors from 1949 to 1953.[1]
