Kazue Shōda

Kazue Shōda in 1917

Kazue Shōda (勝田 主計 Shōda Kazue, October 19, 1869 – October 10, 1948) was a Japanese statesman in the Meiji and Taishō periods.

Biography

Shōda was born in Matsuyama Domain, Iyo Province on October 19 1869, as the 5th son of a poor samurai. The poet Masaoka Shiki and admiral Akiyama Saneyuki were his friends from childhood. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1895, and obtained a position at the Ministry of Finance.^[1] In 1915, he rose to the position of director of the Bank of Chosen. ^[2] He was appointed Finance Minister under the Terauchi^[3] and Kiyoura administrations, ^[4] and Education Minister under the Tanaka administration. In 1938, he was considered for the post of Home Minister under the 2nd Konoe administration, a somewhat surprising choice, given his age and lack of experience in the Home Ministry, and the nomination was rejected by Emperor Hirohito.

He died on October 10, 1948.

References

• Beasley. W.G. Japanese Imperialism 1894-1945. Oxford University Press (1991) ISBN 0-19-822168-1
• Metzler, Mark. Lever of Empire: The International Gold Standard and the Crisis of Liberalism in Prewar Japan. University of California Press (2006). ISBN 0-520-24420-6

Notes

1. Metzler, Lever of Empire. Page 89
2. Metzler, Lever of Empire. Page 94
3. Beasley, Japanese Imperialism 1894–1945. page 117
4. Metzler, Lever of Empire. Page 147