Editing Ichirō Hatoyama (section)

==Post-war political career==
{{Conservatism in Japan|Politicians}}
[[File:Kodama Hatoyama Miki.JPG|thumb|left|Ultranationalist fixer Yoshio Kodama in January 1953 during a visit by Ichirō Hatoyama and Bukichi Miki to his Tokyo estate.]]
Immediately after the [[Surrender of Japan|Japanese surrender]] was announced on 15 August 1945 Hatoyama's old associates, in particular [[Hitoshi Ashida]], began work for the creation a new political party for the post-war era. They convinced Hatoyama to return to Tokyo and become their leader. The Hatoyama Hall was damaged from air raids and Hatoyama lodged at Shojiro Ishibashi's Tokyo residence. Besides his old comrades from the Seiyukai he brought Bukichi Miki into the party. He also recruited liberal figures who had been aloof from party politics such as the journalist [[Tanzan Ishibashi]].<ref name=Uchida>{{Cite book|last=Uchida |first=Kenzō |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv9zcm6g.15 |chapter=Japan’s Postwar Conservative Parties |title=Democratizing Japan: The Allied Occupation |editor-last1=Ward |editor-first1=Robert E. |editor-last2=Sakamoto |editor-first2=Yoshikazu  |publisher=University of Hawai’i Press |year=1987 |pages=309–314 |doi=10.2307/j.ctv9zcm6g.15 |jstor=j.ctv9zcm6g.15 |isbn=978-0824880729}}</ref>

Shojiro Ishibashi was a significant sponsor for the new party and his house would serve as a de facto office in the early days. Another substantial part of the funds came from [[Yoshio Kodama]], who was then a cabinet advisor.<ref name=Kono>{{cite news |last=Ando |first=Toshihiro |date=29 August 2010 |title=政客列伝 河野一郎(2)三木武吉と吉田打倒を策す |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK2300U_T20C10A8000001/ |publisher=Nikkei |access-date=16 July 2023}}</ref>

The [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1945)|Liberal Party]] was officially launched in November 1945 with Hatoyama as its president. Ashida was expected to become secretary-general, but he had been appointed health minister in the [[Shidehara Kijūrō|Shidehara]] cabinet formed the previous month. The post instead went to [[Ichirō Kōno]]. Miki became chairman of the General Council.<ref name=Uchida></ref><ref name=Kono></ref>

===Purge from public office===
[[File:Hatoyama gets the bad news.jpg|thumb|left|Hatoyama receives the purge order]]
In the [[1946 Japanese general election|first post-war election]] in April 1946, the Liberal Party became the largest party with 141 out of 468 seats. Hatoyama was expected to become prime minister, but while in the middle of putting together his cabinet, he was [[Purge (occupied Japan)|purged]] from public office by the [[Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers|occupation authority]] on 4 May. The purge order branded him a "ultranationalist and militarist" for his participation in pre-war cabinets.<ref>Crane, Burton. [https://www.nytimes.com/1946/05/04/archives/hatoyama-barred-by-marthur-order-directive-forbidding-him-to-take.html?sq=Ichiro%2520hatoyama&scp=9&st=cse  "Hatoyama Barred by MacArthur Order; Directive Forbidding Him to Take Diet Seat Rules Him Out as Japan's Premier"], ''The New York Times.'' 4 May 1946; Crane, Burton. [https://www.nytimes.com/1946/05/05/archives/hatoyama-voices-surprise-at-order-challenges-ground-upon-which-he.html?sq=Ichiro%2520hatoyama&scp=11&st=cse  "Hatoyama Voices Surprise at Order; Challenges Ground Upon Which He Is Barred From Holding Office in Japan"], ''The New York Times.'' 5 May 1946.</ref><ref name=Saito9>{{cite web |url=https://www.nippon.com/ja/japan-topics/c08509/ |title=占領期最大の恐怖「公職追放」：次期首相が確実の鳩山一郎が潰された（9） |last=Saito |first=Katsuhisa |date=12 March 2021 |website=nippon.com |publisher=Nippon Communications Foundation |access-date=19 July 2023}}</ref>

Hatoyama was dumbfounded by the event, but he soon approached his old friend Shigeru Yoshida, who was foreign minister at the time, to take his place as prime minister and president of the Liberal Party. Yoshida initially demurred and {{ill|Kazuo Kojima|ja|古島一雄}} and [[Tsuneo Matsudaira]] were also considered as candidates, but Yoshida was ultimately persuaded to accept.<ref name=Kono /><ref name=Saito9 /><ref>{{cite news |last=Ando |first=Toshihiro |date=29 August 2010 |title=鳩山追放、後任に吉田を口説き落とす |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK2801U_Y2A520C1000000/ |publisher=Nikkei |access-date=19 July 2023}}</ref>

Yoshida was appointed prime minister on 22 May, and he would formally be elected party president at the convention in August. Hatoyama once again retired to Karuizawa. Another round of purges in June removed both Kōno and Miki from office.<ref name=Saito9 />

As part of the so-called "[[Reverse Course]]," in American policy towards Japan, brought about by the increasing confrontation between the United States and the Communist bloc, many people were released from the purge, including Miki and Kono. Hatoyama himself was depurged in August 1951.{{sfn|Itoh|2003|pp=107-110}}{{sfn|Itoh|2003|p=116}}

===Conflict with Yoshida===
At that time of Hatoyama's depurging his relationship with Yoshida had soured. Hatoyama believed Yoshida was involved in delaying his depurging. Furthermore, Yoshida had become a well established politician in his own right, and had no intention to step down in favour in Hatoyama as some people expected.{{sfn|Itoh|2003|pp=114-116}} In June, before his depurging, Hatoyama and Miki had considered creating a new party to challenge Yoshida, but the plan was scrapped after Hatoyama suffered a stroke.{{sfn|Itoh|2003|p=117}} Hatoyama and his faction ultimately joined Yoshida's  [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1950)|Liberal Party]].

In November 1954, Hatoyama formed the [[Japan Democratic Party]] by merging the non-mainstream factions of the Liberal Party with the [[Kaishintō]] under [[Mamoru Shigemitsu]], with Hatoyama as president, Shigemitsu as vice president, [[Nobusuke Kishi]] as secretary general and Miki as general council chairman.{{sfn|Itoh|2003|p=123}} Hatoyama cooperated with the socialists to oust Yoshida the following month, and Hatoyama was nominated to succeed him.{{sfn|Itoh|2003|p=124}}