Nobosuke Kishi

Born Nov. 13, 1896, in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Japanese statesman and politician.

Kishi was minister of trade and industry from October 1941 to October 1943 and minister of state from October 1944 to September 1945. After Japan’s capitulation, marking the end of World War II, he was arrested as a war criminal and then freed without trial in December 1948 by the American occupation authorities. In December 1956 he became foreign minister and from February 1957 to June 1960 served as chairman of the Liberal-Democratic Party and premier of the country. The Kishi government sought in every way to limit the democratic rights of the people; it promoted rearmament and a policy of strengthening the military and political alliance with the United States. The conclusion of the Japanese-American “security treaty” by the Kishi government in January 1960 aroused a great outburst of anger in the country. The Kishi government was forced to resign in June 1960. After his retirement, Kishi continued to exert considerable influence on the policy decisions of the Liberal-Democratic Party.