His life after that met with varying levels of success. August 1945 bis zum 9. Upon his return to Japan, he was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters. Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. From 14 May 1988, when former Netherlands Prime Minister Willem Drees died until his own death, Higashikuni was the world's oldest living former head of government. It is located some 30 miles (50 km) northeast of the industrial city of Ōsaka and about the same distance from Nara, another ancient centre of Japanese culture. His father, Prince Asahiko, was a son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie (Fushimi no miya Kuniie Shinnō), the twentieth head of the Fushimi-no-miya, the oldest of the sesshu shinnōke or cadet branches of the imperial dynasty from whom an emperor might be chosen in default of a direct heir. It was established by a group of prominent Japanese men, including Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, naval officer Osami Nagano, philosopher Kitaro Nishida Kuniyoshi, and novelist Saneatsu Mushanokōji. Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko - Biography. It is located at the head of Tokyo Bay on the Pacific coast of central Honshu. After graduating from Japan’s Army Academy and the Army War College, he held several military posts. According to a memo discovered by historian Yoshiaki Yoshimi, Prince Higashikuni authorized the use of poison gas against the Chinese on 16 August 1938. Gently sloping downward from north to south, the city…. Dezember 1887 in Kyōto; † 26. General Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (東久邇宮稔彦王, Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko Ō , 3 December 1887 – 20 January 1990) was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 43rd Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945 for a period of 54 days. Promoted to full general, The prince was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite, 1st Class in 1940. General Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (東久邇宮稔彦王, Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko Ō?, 3 December 1887 – 20 January 1990) was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 43rd Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945 for a period of 54 days. Always somewhat of a rebel, Prince Higashikuni's behavior in Paris scandalized the Imperial Court. On October 14, 1947, Prince Naruhiko was demoted to the status of a commoner as one of the 51 Imperial members of 11 Miyake (families allowed to have the status of Imperial family) and after that he went by the name of Naruhiko HIGASHIKUNI. 57 relations. Prince Naruhiko was a half-brother of Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi, the father of the future Empress Kōjun, the wife of Emperor Hirohito. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He published his autobiographical memoirs, Higashikuni Nikki, in 1968. HIH Prince Naruhiko of Higashikuni.jpg 2,646 × 3,408; 857 KB HIH Prince Naruhiko of Higashikuni.png 720 × 886; 1.08 MB Prime Minister Prince Higashikuni delivers a Policy Speech to the 88th Extraordinary Session of the Imperial Diet.jpg 496 × 600; 81 KB General Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (東久邇宮稔彦王 Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko Ō, 3 December 1887 – 20 January 1990) was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 43rd Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945 for a period of 54 days. His other half-brothers, Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, Prince Nashimoto Morimasa, and Prince Kaya Kuninori, all formed new branches of the imperial family (ōke) during the Meiji period. Source for information on Higashikuni, Naruhiko: The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Il est membre de la famille impériale japonaise, et demi-frère du prince Yasuhiko Asaka et oncle de l'empereur Shōwa de par son mariage avec la princesse Toshiko, dernière enfant de l'empereur Meiji. The Higashikuni-no-miya house was formed by Prince Naruhiko, ninth son of Prince Kuni Asahiko. He was one of the longest-lived prime ministers of all time, along with Antoine Pinay, Willem Drees and Christopher Hornsrud, and at his death was the last surviving full general of the Imperial Japanese Army. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince Higashikuni was the only member of the Japanese imperial family to head a cabinet and was the last general officer of the Imperial Japanese … In 1914, he graduated from the Army War College.He was commissioned a captain in the 29th Infantry Brigade, and promoted to major in the IJA 7th Division in 1915. "Prince Higashikuni" redirects here. 東久邇宮 稔彦王, Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko-ō bzw. In 1946, he explained this decision: "I actually thought Prince Higashikuni suitable as Chief of Staff of the Army; but I think the appointment of a member of the Imperial house to a political office must be considered very carefully. He was commissioned a captain in the 29th Infantry Brigade, and promoted to major in the IJA 7th Division in 1915. Omissions? https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201219548/morihiro-higashikuni For the Japanese title, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, http://www.oocities.org/jtaliaferro.geo/miyake.html, Emperor Hirohito on Localized Aggression in China, Records of the Army Staff: The Investigative Records Repository (IRR), Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936–1945, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Naruhiko_Higashikuni&oldid=1001522837, Japanese military personnel of World War II, Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite, Recipients of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni, Articles lacking in-text citations from June 2020, Articles needing translation from Japanese Wikipedia, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. After the course of the war turned against Japan, and the decision was made to accept the Potsdam Declaration, Emperor Hirohito appointed Prince Higashikuni to the position of prime minister on 16 August 1945, replacing Admiral Kantarō Suzuki. An uncle of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince Higashikuni was the only member of the Japanese imperial family to head a cabinet. The American researchers with SCAP also found out that he had planned towards the end of the war to depose Hirohito, placing the minor Akihito on the throne instead, governing the country with himself as regent.[5]. In 1946, Prince Higashikuni asked the emperor for permission to renounce his membership in the Imperial Family and become a commoner. Su gobierno ha sido el más efímero de todos los Primeros Ministros. Naruhiko Higashikuni Certaines informations figurant dans cet article ou cette section devraient être mieux reliées aux sources mentionnées dans les sections « Bibliographie », « Sources » ou « Liens externes » ( octobre 2016 ). During the early stages of the Pacific War, Prince Higashikuni served as commander of the General Defense Command from 1941 to 1944. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The couple had four sons. Prince Higashikuni resigned in October over a dispute with the American occupation forces over the repeal of the 1925 Peace Preservation Law. [3] Konoe believed that only a member of the Imperial Family with a distinguished military background could restrain the pro-war faction led by Generals Hajime Sugiyama, Hideki Tōjō, and Akira Mutō. Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (東久邇宮稔彦王, Higashikuni-no-miya Naruhiko Ō ?, 3 December 1887 – 20 January 1990) was the 43rd Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945 for a period of 54 days. 東久邇宮稔彦王（ひがしくにのみや なるひこおう、1887年〈明治20年〉12月3日 - 1990年〈平成2年〉1月20日）、のち東久邇 稔彦（ひがしくに なるひこ）は、日本の旧皇族、陸軍 軍人。. Higashikuni Naruhiko, also called (until 1947) Imperial Prince (Shinnō) Higashikuni Naruhiko, (born February 3, 1887, Kyōto, Japan—died January 20, 1990, Tokyo), Japanese imperial prince and army commander who was Japan’s first prime minister after the country’s surrender in World War II (August 17–October 6, 1945). Corrections? In 1908, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy as a second lieutenant, was promoted to lieutenant in 1910 and to captain in 1913. He was the only member of the imperial family ever to head a cabinet. In 1937 he was named chief of military aviation, and in 1939 he became a full general. She married Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni on 18 May 1915. Le prince Naruhiko Higashikuni (3 décembre 1887 - 20 janvier 1990) est un homme d'État, le 43 e Premier ministre du Japon du 17 août 1945 au 9 octobre 1945, soit une période de 54 jours. Fue tío del Emperador Shōwa y el único miembro de la Familia Imperial Japonesa que ha encabezado un gabinete. However, both Emperor Hirohito and the Lord Privy Seal, Kido Kōichi, believed that it would be inappropriate for a member of the Imperial Family to serve in that position, as he could be blamed for anything which went wrong in the war. An uncle of Emperor Shōwa twice over, Prince Higashikuni was the only member of the Japanese imperial family to head a cabinet. He was the founder of the Chiba Institute of Technology. Higashikuni became a commoner in 1947 and operated various retail shops. Higashikuni presided over the formal signing (September 2, 1945) of the surrender and then resigned the following month. The rank in the army is Major Army. He was the founder of the Chiba Institute of Technology. Higashikuni died of heart failure in Tokyo on 20 January 1990 at the age of 102 years, 48 days, having outlived his wife, two of his sons, his siblings, and his nephew, Emperor Hirohito. Prinz Higashikuni Naruhiko (jap. However, along with other members of the Imperial branch families (shinnōke and ōke), Prince Higashikuni lost his title and most of his wealth as a result of the American occupation’s abolition of the princely houses on 17 October 1947. The mission of the Higashikuni cabinet was twofold: first, to ensure the orderly cessation of hostilities and demobilization of the Japanese armed forces; and second, to reassure the Japanese people that the imperial institution remained secure. As a private citizen, Higashikuni operated several unsuccessful retail enterprises (including a provisions store, second-hand goods store, and dressmaker's shop). Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army.In 1908, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy as a second lieutenant, was promoted to lieutenant in 1910 and to captain in 1913. After the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he headed the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (1937–1938), and the IJA 2nd Army stationed in China from 1938–1939. Il est en outre le seul membre de la famille impériale à avoir été chef de gouvernement. Early life. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Above all, in time of peace this is fine, but when there is a fear that there may even be a war, then more importantly, considering the welfare of the imperial house, I wonder about the wisdom of a member of the Imperial family serving [as prime minister]."[4]. Hirohito and Higashikuni Speeches Before the Diet - YouTube