Editing Shigeru Yoshida (section)

==Diplomatic career==
Yoshida's diplomatic career began with a posting in [[China]], first at the Japanese mission in [[Tianjin]] in November 1906, then in [[Shenyang|Fengtian]] (now Shenyang) in 1907. In 1909, Yoshida married Yukiko Makino, the eldest daughter of [[Nobuaki Makino]].{{sfn|Dower|1988|p=19}} That same year he was assigned to [[Italy]], and in 1912, he was posted to [[Andong]] in [[Korea under Japanese rule|Japanese-ruled Korea]], where he served concurrently as secretary to the Governor General [[Masatake Terauchi]]. When Terauchi was appointed prime minister in 1916, Yoshida  turned down an offer to serve as his personal secretary. He was instead assigned to the Japanese embassy in the [[United States]], but this appointment was cancelled when the Ministry became aware Yoshida had opposed the [[Twenty-One Demands]], which he thought undermined the Japanese policy in China by alienating the Western powers and provoking Chinese opposition. Yoshida was instead made chief of the documents section the following year and in 1918 he was appointed consul in [[Jinan]], China.{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=39-44}}

In 1919, he was part of the Japanese delegation to the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]], as secretary to his father-in-law Makino, one of the Japanese plenipotentiaries. When the conference concluded in 1920, he was assigned as first secretary to the Japanese embassy in the [[United Kingdom]]. In 1922, he returned to China and served as consul in Tianjin until 1925, then as Consul General in Fengtian until 1928.{{sfn|Nish|2007|p=164}}

In March 1928, Yoshida was first appointed minister to [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], and [[Denmark]], but before assuming the post he was appointed vice minister for foreign affairs in July of the same year, after having recommended himself to the Prime Minister [[Giichi Tanaka]]. Tanaka served concurrently as minister for foreign affairs. During this time, Yoshida supported increasing Japanese influence in China, and advocated for the independence of [[Manchuria]] and [[Mongolia]] to weaken the Republic of China. He acquainted [[Ichiro Hatoyama]], who was chief cabinet secretary under Tanaka. Yoshida remained in his post when Tanaka was replaced as prime minister by [[Osachi Hamaguchi]] and as foreign minister by [[Kijūrō Shidehara]] in July 1929, until he was appointed ambassador to [[Italy]] in December 1930. He returned to Japan in 1932 and, after having turned down the ambassadorship to the United States, for which he considered himself unsuitable, held a nebulous role as an ambassador-in-waiting. He undertook some foreign tours on behalf of the ministry and notably developed a warm relationship with the American ambassador [[Joseph Grew]]. Yoshida formally retired from the ministry in 1935.{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=77-112}}

In the aftermath of the [[February 26 incident]] of 1936, Prince [[Fumimaro Konoe]] contacted Yoshida to request that he'd help persuade [[Koki Hirota]] accept the premiership. Yoshida assisted Hirota in the cabinet formation and was himself considered for the post of foreign minister. However, he was included on a list of potential cabinet ministers unacceptable to the army presented by the incoming War Minister [[Hisaichi Terauchi]]. This prevented his appointment. Instead he became ambassador to the United Kingdom. After his ambassadorship to the United Kingdom ended in 1938, he retired, again, from the diplomatic service.{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=112-115}}{{sfn|Nish|2007|p=164}}