Ikeda Shigeaki
Shigeaki Ikeda 池田成彬 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 39th Minister of Finance of Japan | |
| In office 26 May 1938 – 5 January 1939 | |
| Prime Minister | Fumimaro Konoe |
| Preceded by | Okinori Kaya |
| Succeeded by | Sōtarō Ishiwata |
| 16th Minister of Commerce and Industry of Japan | |
| In office 26 May 1938 – 5 January 1939 | |
| Prime Minister | Fumimaro Konoe |
| Preceded by | Shinji Yoshino |
| Succeeded by | Yoshiaki Hatta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 August 1867 Yonezawa, Yonezawa Domain |
| Died | 9 October 1950 |
| Alma mater | Keio University Harvard University |
Shigeaki Ikeda (池田成彬, Ikeda Shigeaki, 15 August 1867 – 9 October 1950), also known as Seihin Ikeda, was a Japanese politician and businessman prominent in the early decades of the 20th century. He served as director of Mitsui Bank from 1909-1933, was appointed governor of the Bank of Japan in 1937, and served as Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe from 1937 to 1939. In 1941, he was made a member of the Imperial Privy Council; following Japan's defeat in World War II, Ikeda was banned from public political service[1].
Life and career
Ikeda was born in the feudal domain (han) of Yonezawa in 1867, the son of samurai Ikeda Nariaki. He studied at, and graduated from, both Keio University and Harvard University, after which he began working at Mitsui Bank, later marrying the daughter of director Nakamigawa Hirojirō[1].
He became director of the bank in 1909, and held that position until 1933; four years later he became governor of the Bank of Japan and Minister of Finance, serving in the cabinet of Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe until 1939.
On 5 December 1938, along with the prime minister, Foreign Minister Hachirō Arita, Army Minister Seishirō Itagaki, and Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai, Ikeda took part in the Five Ministers' Conference, a secret meeting of the highest officials in the Japanese government, to discuss the government's position on world Jewry. While the Foreign Minister and others were opposed to any formal involvement with the Jewish people, on the basis of their uncontrollable nature and devious schemes as detailed in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the threat they posed according to Nazi ideology, Ikeda, along with Army Minister Itagaki, argued that a population of Jews would be a great asset to Japan, attracting foreign capital and improving world opinion towards Japan. The meeting ultimately proved a crucial step in the development of the "Fugu Plan" which would bring several thousand Jews to the Empire of Japan, from Nazi-controlled Europe[2].
Ikeda became a member of the Privy Council in 1941, and was banned from engaging in political activity as a result, following the end of World War II[1].