Hirokichi Nadao

Hirokichi Nadao
灘尾 弘吉
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 1 February 1979 – 19 May 1980
Monarch	Hirohito
Preceded by	Shigeru Hori
Succeeded by	Hajime Fukuda
90th Minister of Education
In office 25 November 1967 – 30 November 1968
Cabinet	Eisaku Satō II First Reformed Cabinet
Preceded by	Toshihiro Kennoki
Succeeded by	Michita Sakata
82nd-83rd Minister of Education
In office 18 July 1962 – 18 July 1964
Cabinet	Hayato Ikeda II Second Reformed Cabinet Hayato Ikeda II Third Reformed Cabinet Hayato Ikeda III
Preceded by	Masuo Araki
Succeeded by	Kiichi Aichi
37th Minister of Health and Welfare
In office 18 July 1961 – 18 July 1962
Cabinet	Hayato Ikeda II First Reformed Cabinet
Preceded by	Yoshimi Furui
Succeeded by	Eiichi Nishimura
77th Minister of Education
In office 12 June 1958 – 31 December 1958
Preceded by	Tou Matsunaga
Succeeded by	Ryogo Hashimoto
74th/75th Minister of Education
In office 23 December 1956 – 10 July 1957
Preceded by	Ichirō Kiyose
Succeeded by	Tou Matsunaga
33rd Governor of Oita Prefecture
In office 7 January 1941 – 15 June 1942
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 2 October 1952 – 27 November 1983
Constituency	Hiroshima 1st District
Personal details
Born	21 December 1899 Ōgaki, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Died	22 January 1994 (94 years old) Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Political party	Liberal Liberal Democratic Independent
Alma mater	Tokyo Imperial University
Awards	Junior Second Rank Order of the Rising Sun, 1st Class (Order of the Paulownia Flowers)

Hirokichi Nadao (Japanese: 灘尾 弘吉; 21 December 1899 – 22 January 1994) was a Japanese politician. Throughout his career, he served as Minister of Education multiple times, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Governor of Oita Prefecture.

Nadao was known for his hawkish attitudes. He held an aggressive stance towards Nikkyoso, the teachers' union of Japan, and unions in general (represented by Sōhyō). He was also one of the main people behind Prime Minister Eisaku Satō's foreign policy. In the mid-1970s, he was regarded as one of the most powerful men in Japan.

Career

Statue of Nadao at Hiroshima Castle

Nadao was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1899. He graduated with a degree in jurisprudence from Tokyo Imperial University and joined the Home Ministry, rising to the position of Vice Minister pre-war. During the war, he served as Governor of Oita Prefecture.

After the war, Nadao became one of the main people who pushed through the 1954 Police Law (as Minister of Health and Welfare at the time). He was also a member of the "Taiwan faction" of Japanese politics, influencing the foreign policy of Prime Minister Eisaku Satō. He served as the chairman of the Diet Members' Talkfest on Japan-China Relations, visiting Taipei with a delegation to meet with Chiang Kai-Shek in 1959 (the first time any Japanese politician had done so since the cutting of ties with Taipei). In March 1973, Nadao created the LDP Members' Talkfest on Japan-China Relations.

As Education Minister, Nadao was one of the chairmen of the Education System Research Council. Under the premiership of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, Nadao was hawkish towards the teachers' union, Nikkyoso, and the general council for trade unions, Sōhyō, arguing that teachers should not argue for better wages because they should teach based on their conviction and duty to their noble profession. His stand against Nikkyoso was what he was known for within the Ministry of Education, and lumped him in with other members of the "education-public peace" or "law and order" clique, or Bunkyo-chian zoku.

Nadao was also responsible for policies pushing national identity through education. In 1968, he voiced his support for teaching children about the Emperor of Japan, his descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu, and the formation of the Japanese monarchy. He also called for an reevaluation of the 6-3-3-4 system (6 years of primary school, 3 years of junior secondary school, 3 years of senior secondary school, and 4 years of university).

After having served as Minister of Education multiple times, Nadao became a main member of the Education Committee of the LDP. In 1976, Nadao was named as one of the most powerful men in Japanese politics.

References

Bibliography

Books

• Anderson, Ronald Stone (1975). Education in Japan: a century of modern development. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education.
• Schoppa, Leonard James (11 March 2002). Education Reform in Japan: A Case of Immobilist Politics. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-86516-1.
• Wei, C. X. George (2012). China-Taiwan Relations in a Global Context: Taiwan's Foreign Policy and Relations. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-60012-5.

Journals

• Armstrong, David G. (July 1976). "Educational Change and the Cultural Milieu: Misadventures in Post-War Japan and Their Implications for American Curriculum Workers". Peabody Journal of Education. 53 (4): 278–284. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
• Consulate-General of Japan, Chicago (1955). Japan Report. Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan.
• Consulate-General of Japan, Chicago (1961). Japan Report. Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan.
• Hsiao, Gene T. (December 1974). "Prospects for a New Sino-Japanese Relationship". The China Quarterly. 60: 720–749. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
• Johnson, Chalmers (January 1976). "Japan 1975: Mr. Clean Muddles Through". Asian Survey. 16 (1): 31–41. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
• Garson, Sheldon M. (May 1984). "The Imperial Bureaucracy and Labor Policy in Postwar Japan". The Journal of Asian Studies. 43 (3): 441–457. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
• Park, Yung H. (March 1982). ""Big Business" and Education Policy in Japan". Asian Survey. 22 (3): 315–336. Retrieved 14 May 2021.