Aiichirō Fujiyama

Aiichirō Fujiyama (藤山 愛一郎, Fujiyama Aiichirō, May 22, 1897 – February 22, 1985) was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and business executive.^[1]

Fujiyama memorial hall in Keio University Hiyoshi campus

The garden of Fujiyama family

Aiichirō Fujiyama
藤山 愛一郎
Director of the Economic Planning Agency
In office 3 June 1965 – 4 November 1966
Prime Minister	Eisaku Satō
Preceded by	Mamoru Takahashi
Succeeded by	Eisaku Satō (acting)
In office 18 July 1961 – 6 July 1962
Prime Minister	Hayato Ikeda
Preceded by	Hisatsune Sakomizu
Succeeded by	Hayato Ikeda (acting)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office July 10, 1957 – July 19, 1960
Prime Minister	Nobusuke Kishi
Preceded by	Nobusuke Kishi
Succeeded by	Zentaro Kosaka
Chairman of Japan Airlines
In office August 1951 – September 1953
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Kunizō Hara
Personal details
Born	(1897-05-22)May 22, 1897 Tokyo, Japan
Died	February 22, 1985(1985-02-22) (aged 87) Tokyo, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Alma mater	Keio University (Incomplete)

A business executive who symbolized "big business" in Japan as president of Dai Nippon Sugar Manufacturing Co. and executive officer of Nitto Chemical Industry Co., he used his influence to bring about the fall of Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō in 1944.

After Japan's World War II surrender, Fujiyama was imprisoned without a trial for three years, having been accused of "war crimes". After his release he represented Japan at the 1951 UNESCO meeting in Paris and later served as Chairman of Japan Airlines (1951-1953).

In 1955 and 1956, Fujiyama, who was Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce at the time, strongly supported Nobusuke Kishi as a successor to Ichirō Hatoyama to the President of the Liberal Democratic Party, according to a report by the Central Intelligence Agency.^[2]

Fujiyama was elected to Parliament in 1957 and was reelected five times. As Foreign Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi (1957–60), he headed Japan's first delegation to the United Nations (1957), helped revise the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty (1960), and promoted the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. He also served in the cabinet of Kishi's successor Hayato Ikeda as Director of Japan's Economic Planning Agency.^[3]

During the 1960s, he controlled a personal faction within the LDP, closely aligned with the Kishi faction, and ran unsuccessfully several times for presidency of the LDP.

In 1970, Fujiyama made an unsanctioned trip to the People's Republic of China in an effort to expand Japanese trade relations with China.

External links

• Newspaper clippings about Aiichirō Fujiyama in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

References

1. "Aiichiro Fujiyama, 87; Ex-Japanese Politician". The New York Times. 1985-02-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
2. "INFORMATION REPORT, KAYA OKINORI VOL.11". Central Intelligence Agency.
3. Kapur, Nick (2018). Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0674984424.

Political offices
Preceded by Nobusuke Kishi	Minister for Foreign Affairs 1957–1960	Succeeded by Zentaro Kosaka
Preceded by Hisatsune Sakomizu	Director of the Economic Planning Agency 1961–1962	Succeeded by Hayato Ikeda Acting
Preceded by Mamoru Takahashi	Director of the Economic Planning Agency 1965–1966	Succeeded by Eisaku Satō Acting
Party political offices
Preceded by Munenori Akagi	Chairman of the General Council of the Liberal Democratic Party 1963–1964	Succeeded by Umekichi Nakamura
Business positions
Preceded by Yoshiaki Hatta	Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry 1941–1946	Succeeded by Ryutaro Takahashi
Preceded by Shinsuke Asao	Chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives 1951–1952	Succeeded by Masamichi Yamagiwa
New title	Chairman of Japan Airlines 1951–1953	Succeeded by Kunizō Hara
Preceded by Ryutaro Takahashi	Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry 1951–1957	Succeeded by Tadashi Adachi
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by Ryutaro Takahashi	President of the Community Chest of Tokyo 1952–1957	Succeeded by Tadashi Adachi