17 YOSHIDA SHIGERU, 1878-1967 Difficult Years for Anglo-Japanese Relations [London, 1936-38]

IAN NISH Shigeru Yoshida on arrival at Waterloo Station, 24 June 1936

oshida Shigeru and his wife, Yukiko, occupied the Japanese Embassy at 10 Y Grosvenor Square for two significant years - 1936-8. These were unhappy and difficult years for Anglo-Japanese relations; but the affection for Britain which they both felt from previous postings in London stayed with them in these disheartening times. These feelings seem to have remained with him when he rose to great distinction as prime minister of several cabinets between 1948 and 1954. Yoshida was born in Tokyo on 22 September 1878 as fifth son of a Tosa samurai family. He was adopted into the family of Yoshida Kenzo who had stayed in London for two years in the 1860s and later became Yokohama manager for Jardine, Matheson.' A wealthy banker and financier, he died prematurely, leaving Shigeru with a good sufficiency at the age of ten. After many changes of schooling, he finally entered Gakushuin Middle School, though it was soon closed with the death of the principal, Konoe Atsumaro (father of Konoe Fumimaro). In 1906 he graduated in politics from Tokyo Imperial University and, after sitting the entrance examination, was admitted to the Gaimusho. One commentator has observed that 'among eleven persons who joined the Foreign Ministry in that year, including Hirota, Mushakoji, Hayashi Kyujiro, Yoshida appeared to be the least likely to stand out." After a preliminary posting in China at Shenyang (Mukden), he joined the London embassy under Ambassador Kato Takaaki in 1908-9. On his return to Tokyo he married Yukiko, the eldest daughter of Count Makino Nobuaki (Shinken). Makino was the son of Okubo Toshimichi, the great statesman of Satsuma and Meiji Japan. He had accompanied his father, a member of the Iwakura mission, to the United States in 1872 and stayed on for further study. He was assigned to the London legation and spent over three years there. He had a varied career as a diplomat, ending up as foreign minister in 1911-12 and 164 JAPANESE ENVOYS IN BRITAIN

1916-18. Hence Yoshida, the adopted son of a prosperous business background, had married into one of the influential families of Meiji and become a Meiji gentleman. While Makino had been minister in Italy and Austria, Yukiko had gone to English-speaking schools and become an expert in the English language and literature." Yoshida was appointed consul first at Antung and later, more significantly, at Tsinan, the capital of Shantung province. He was lucky to be invited by his father-in-law to accompany him to Paris as his personal assistant at the Peace Conference in 1919. The other senior delegates were Chinda, the ambassador in London, and (later) Prince Saionji. After he returned home, Yoshida was posted to London in 1920 as first secretary, a position he held for two years, serving for part of the time as honorary secretary of the Japan Society of London. Yoshida and his wife accordingly had a prominent role to play in receiving the Crown Prince (later to be the Showa Emperor) on his visit to Britain in May 1921. Yoshida returned to China service as consul-general, first at Tianjin and later at Shenyang. In 1928 he successfully lobbied the new Seiyiikai leader, General Tanaka Giichi, to become vice-minister for foreign affairs under Tanaka himself. During his years in China, he had not liked the non-interventionist policy of Foreign Minister Shidehara and his party towards that country. He therefore claimed Seiyiikai membership and offered his services. In 1930, he was appointed to his first ambassadorial post in Italy; but, because Japan was embroiled in the dispute over Manchuria during his tenure there, he found himself spending most of his time attending sessions of the League of Nations. After his return he was sent on a tour of inspection of Manchuria and China in 1933. In 1934-5, he made a lengthy tour as inspector-general of legations which took him round Europe and the United States. He resigned from the ministry (taikan) in October 1935. His appointment as ambassador to London was connected with the Incident of 26 February 1936 in which the army tried to take possession of the central districts of Tokyo and to assassinate key political leaders. While it was primarily an example of military insubordination by younger officers which their seniors were unable to control, it still had implications for diplomacy. The attacks on statesmen included that on Count Makino, formerly the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and therefore a close adviser to the Sh6wa emperor. Insofar as the army officers involved believed that the emperor was being misled by his civilian advisers, they were gunning for Makino especially. Fortunately, he escaped from the inn where he was staying in Yugawara by the rear entrance, with the help of his granddaughter, Yoshida's daughter. This left the attackers so furious that they set the building on fire." The mutiny was crushed following an outright rejection of the cause by the emperor who called on loyal troops to suppress it. It nonetheless caused the collapse of the cabinet. The mandate passed first to Prince Konoe Fumimaro and, when he declined it on grounds of ill-health, was re-directed to Hirota Koki, a former ambassador to the Soviet Union. Yoshida commented: 'I had never taken any active interest in politics and always avoided being mixed up in such matters, but on this occasion was asked by Konoe, President of the House of Peers, to prevail upon Hirota to accept the Premiership and assisted in the selection for various posts in the Cabmet." The genro's invitation was accepted by Hirota. In the formation of Hirota's government, Yoshida Shigeru was in effect his chef de cabinet (sokaku sosambo). It was widely speculated in the press that Yoshida would become a member of the new ministry, probably in the role