Inejirō Asanuma
Inejirō Asanuma 浅沼 稲次郎 | |
|---|---|
 Asanuma in 1948 | |
| Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party | |
| In office 23 March 1960 – 12 October 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Suzuki Mosaburō |
| Succeeded by | Jōtarō Kawakami |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 December 1898 Miyake-jima, Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | 12 October 1960 (aged 61) Tokyo, Japan |
| Cause of death | Assassination by stabbing |
| Political party | Japan Socialist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Kyōko Asanuma |
| Children | Kinue Asanuma (adopted daughter) |
| Parents |
|
Inejiro Asanuma (浅沼 稲次郎, Asanuma Inejirō, 27 December 1898 – 12 October 1960) was a Japanese politician. He was the leader of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) and one of the most important socialist politicians in Japan after World War II.[1][2]
Early life
[change | change source]Asanuma was born on the small island of Miyake-jima near Tokyo. He studied at Waseda University in Tokyo.
Political career
[change | change source]Asanuma was a democratic socialist, not a communist. He led the right-leaning part of the Japan Socialist Party. He was known as a hardworking politician who cared about ordinary working people. People gave him nicknames like "Numa-san" and "Human Locomotive" because he was big, energetic, and always working hard.[3][1]
In 1959, he visited Communist China and said that the United States was a common enemy of China and Japan. This statement made many right-wing people angry at him.[4]
Personality
[change | change source]Even though he was a socialist, Asanuma had great respect for the Emperor. He kept a small Shinto shrine called a kamidana in his home and prayed there every day.[5]
On one occasion, when a reporter mocked the Emperor, Asanuma became furious and loudly scolded the reporter.[6]
Asanuma lived a simple life for about 30 years in an old public apartment in a working-class part of Tokyo called Shirakawa-chō, Fukagawa. The apartment was small, with only four-and-a-half tatami mats in the main room. He had a lot of energy even at home.
A magazine called Asahi Graph (30 October 1960 issue) showed photos of his apartment, his sad dog, and his death mask.[7][8]
He also loved animals. He had an Akita dog named Jirō. After Asanuma was assassinated, Jirō sensed that his master was gone forever, stopped eating food and died of grief, it was “as if he followed his master.”
Assassination
[change | change source]On 12 October 1960, Asanuma was speaking at a televised political debate in Tokyo. A 17-year-old far-right activist named Otoya Yamaguchi ran onto the stage and stabbed him to death with a short sword. The assassination was seen live on national television. Yamaguchi later killed himself in prison.
Legacy
[change | change source]Asanuma’s death shocked Japan. Many people saw him as a brave politician who fought for working-class people. His assassination weakened the Japan Socialist Party. He is still remembered today as an important figure in Japan’s postwar history.
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 Masao Ueda, Hideo Tsuda, Keiji Nagahara, Shōichi Fujii, Akira Fujiwara (2009). コンサイス日本人名辞典 第5版 [Concise Dictionary of Japanese Biographical Names, 5th ed.] (in Japanese). Sanseido Co., Ltd. p. 24.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Inejiro Asanuma. "私の履歴書" [My Resume]. Aozora Bunko (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ Inejiro Asanuma. "私の履歴書" [My Resume]. Aozora Bunko (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "浅沼稲次郎の三つの代表的演説" [Three Representative Speeches of Inejirō Asanuma]. Aozora Bunko (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ↑ Yoshiko Sakurai (30 June 2016). "今だから読んでみよう、共産党綱領". 櫻LIVE (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ Tawara, Kōtarō (1994). 政治家の風景 (in Japanese). Gakushū Kenkyūsha. p. 8.
- ↑ "アサヒグラフ １９６０年１０月３０日号 ＝ 第１８９６号". 昭和館デジタルアーカイブ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ "浅沼委員長凶刃に倒る". アサヒグラフ (in Japanese). No. 第1896号. 朝日新聞社. 1960-10-30.