Editing Shigeru Yoshida

{{Short description|Prime Minister of Japan (1946–1947, 1948–1954)}}
{{Eastern name order|Yoshida Shigeru}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Shigeru Yoshida
| native_name         = {{Nobold|吉田 茂}}
| native_name_lang    = ja
| image               = Shigeru Yoshida suit.jpg
| caption             = 
| office              = [[Prime Minister of Japan]]
| monarch             = [[Hirohito]]
| governor            = {{ubl|[[Douglas MacArthur]]|[[Matthew Ridgway]]}}
| deputy              = {{ill|Jōji Hayashi|jp|林譲治 (政治家)}}<br>[[Taketora Ogata]]
| term_start          = 15 October 1948
| term_end            = 10 December 1954
| predecessor         = [[Hitoshi Ashida]]
| successor           = [[Ichirō Hatoyama]]
| monarch1            = Hirohito
| governor1           = Douglas MacArthur
| deputy1             = [[Kijūrō Shidehara]]
| term_start1         = 22 May 1946
| term_end1           = 24 May 1947
| predecessor1        = Kijūrō Shidehara
| successor1          = [[Tetsu Katayama]]
| office2             = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| primeminister2      = ''Himself''
| term_start2         = 15 October 1948
| term_end2           = 30 April 1952
| predecessor2        = Hitoshi Ashida
| successor2          = [[Katsuo Okazaki]]
| primeminister3      = [[Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni|Naruhiko Higashikuni]]<br>Kijūrō Shidehara<br>''Himself''
| term_start3         = 15 September 1945
| term_end3           = 27 May 1947
| predecessor3        = [[Mamoru Shigemitsu]]
| successor3          = [[Hitoshi Ashida]]
| office4             = [[Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)|Minister of Agriculture and Forestry]]
| primeminister4      = ''Himself''
| term_start4         = 30 January 1947
| term_end4           = 15 February 1947
| predecessor4        = [[Hiroo Wada]]
| successor4          = [[Kozaemon Kimura]]
| office5             = {{unbulleted list|Member of the [[House of Representatives (Japan)|House of Representatives]]|for [[Kōchi Prefecture|Kōchi]]'s [[Kōchi at-large district (House of Representatives)|at-large]] district}}
| term_start5         = 26 April 1947
| term_end5           = 23 October 1963
| predecessor5        = ''Constituency established''
| successor5          = ''Multi-member district''
| office6             = Member of the [[House of Peers (Japan)|House of Peers]]
| term_start6         = 19 December 1945
| term_end6           = 3 May 1947<br/>Nominated by the [[Hirohito|Emperor]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1878|9|22|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Surugadai|Kanda-Surugadai, Tokyo]], [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1967|10|20|1878|9|22|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Ōiso|Ōiso, Kanagawa]], Japan
| spouse              = {{marriage|Yukiko Makino|1909|1941|reason=died}}<br>{{marriage|Kiyo Sakamoto|1944}}
| children            = 4, including [[Ken'ichi Yoshida (literary scholar)|Ken'ichi]]
| relatives           = {{ubl|[[Tarō Asō]] (grandson)|[[Princess Tomohito of Mikasa|Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa]] (granddaughter)}}
| party               = [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|LDP]] (1957–1967)
| otherparty          = [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1945)|JLP]] (1945–1948)<br>[[Democratic Liberal Party (Japan)|DLP]] (1948–1950)<br>[[Liberal Party (Japan, 1950)|LP]] (1950–1955)<br>[[Independent politician|Independent]] (1955–1957)
| alma_mater          = [[University of Tokyo]]
| signature           = YoshidaS kao.svg
}}
{{nihongo|'''Shigeru Yoshida'''|吉田 茂|Yoshida Shigeru|{{IPA|ja|jo.ɕi.da (<nowiki>|</nowiki>) ɕi.ɡe.ɾɯ, -ŋe.ɾɯ}},<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:新明解日本語アクセント辞典|edition=2nd|editor-last=Kindaichi|editor-first=Haruhiko|editor-link=Haruhiko Kindaichi|editor-last2=Akinaga|editor-first2=Kazue|publisher=[[Sanseidō]]|date=10 March 2025|lang=ja}}</ref> 22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967 }} was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as [[Prime Minister of Japan|prime minister of Japan]] from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of [[Occupation of Japan|the country's occupation]] after [[World War II]]. Yoshida played a major role in determining the course of post-war Japan by forging a strong relationship with the United States and pursuing economic recovery.

Born in Tokyo to a former samurai family, Yoshida graduated from [[Tokyo Imperial University]] in 1906 and joined the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]. He held various assignments abroad, including in China, where he advocated increased Japanese influence. From 1928 to 1930, Yoshida served as vice minister of foreign affairs, then served as ambassador to Italy until 1932. In 1936, he was considered for foreign minister in the cabinet of [[Kōki Hirota]], but he was opposed by the [[Imperial Japanese Army|Army]], who strongly identified him with liberalism and friendship with Great Britain and the United States. Yoshida served as ambassador to Britain from 1936 to 1938. He largely avoided political participation during the [[Pacific War]]. During the U.S. occupation after the war's end, Yoshida served as foreign minister in the cabinets of [[Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni|Prince Higashikuni]] and [[Kijūrō Shidehara]].

Yoshida became prime minister in 1946, after [[Ichirō Hatoyama]] was [[Purge (occupied Japan)|purged]] by authorities on the verge of taking office; Yoshida served as foreign minister in his own first three cabinets. He oversaw the adoption of the [[Constitution of Japan]] before losing office after the election of 1947. He returned to the premiership in 1948, and negotiated the [[Treaty of San Francisco]], which ended the occupation and saw the restoration of sovereignty to Japan, and a [[Security Treaty between the United States and Japan|security treaty with the U.S.]] Yoshida pursued a strategy of concentrating on economic reconstruction while relying on an alliance with the United States for defense, a strategy known as the [[Yoshida Doctrine]]. The last years of his premiership were marked by conflict with Hatoyama, who had by then been depurged. This culminated in Yoshida being ousted and replaced by Hatoyama in 1954.

Yoshida's legacy continued to play an important part in Japanese political life, particularly through his two protégés, [[Hayato Ikeda]] and [[Eisaku Satō]], who served as prime ministers from 1960 to 1964 and 1964 to 1972 respectively. Yoshida died in 1967 and received a state funeral. His grandson, [[Tarō Asō]], served as prime minister from 2008 to 2009.

==Early life and education==
[[File:Shigeru Yoshida.jpg|thumb|left|Yoshida as a child]]
Shigeru Yoshida was born on 22 September 1878, in [[Surugadai|Kanda-Surugadai]], [[Tokyo]], the fifth son of Tsuna Takeuchi, a former [[samurai]] of the [[Tosa domain]]. Tsuna Takeuchi was a close aide to [[Taisuke Itagaki]] in the 1880s and would serve in the first [[National Diet]] elected in [[1890 Japanese general election|1890]]. The identity of Yoshida's biological mother is not known. It's likely she was a concubine of Takeuchi and possibly a [[geisha]].{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=14-16}}{{sfn|Okazaki|2019|pp=112-114}}{{sfn|Watanabe|2016|pp=24-26}}

Shortly before Yoshida's birth, his biological father was imprisoned for anti-government conspiracy in connection to the [[Satsuma Rebellion]], and his mother gave birth to him at the house of Kenzō Yoshida, a friend of his father. As young samurai, Tsuna and Kenzō had made names for themselves amidst the decades of unrest around the time of [[Meiji Restoration]]. Since Takeuchi had several sons and his friend Kenzō Yoshida had none, Yoshida was adopted by Kenzō Yoshida and his wife Kotoko in August 1881. Kenzō Yoshida was a former samurai who had traveled to England as a stowaway in his youth. He then established himself in [[Yokohama]] as a branch manager for [[Jardine Matheson]], before becoming a successful businessman in his own right. Kotoko was the granddaughter of the [[Edo period]] [[Confucianism|Confucian]] scholar [[Issai Satō]].{{sfn|Okazaki|2019|pp=112-114}}{{sfn|Watanabe|2016|pp=24-26}}{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=18-20}}

Yoshida spent his early childhood in Yokohama. After he graduated from elementary school there in 1889, he was enrolled at Koyo Juku, a prestigious rural boarding school. That same year, Kenzō Yoshida died, and Shigeru inherited a substantial fortune from him. Kotoko subsequently raised Shigeru on the family's estate in [[Ōiso, Kanagawa|Ōiso]] when he was not at school.{{sfn|Okazaki|2019|pp=112-114}}{{sfn|Watanabe|2016|pp=24-26}}

Yoshida spent five years at Koyo Juku. In 1894 he went to Tokyo and spent a year studying at Nihon Gakuen, a school run by the famous educator Jugo Sugiura. He then went on to [[Hitotsubashi University|Higher Commercial School]], but soon found he was unsuited for business and dropped out. He then briefly studied at Seisoku Academy and the [[Tokyo University of Science|Tokyo Physics School]] while preparing for [[Higher school (Japan)|higher school]] examinations, but he fell ill and had to spend a year at home in Ōiso. Returning to Tokyo in 1897, he entered the prestigious Peers' School, the headed by Prince [[Atsumaro Konoe]]. Yoshida advanced to the university department at Peers’ School, which Prince Konoe had established to train diplomats. The university department became defunct after Prince Konoe died in 1904, so Yoshida transferred to [[University of Tokyo|Tokyo Imperial University]] and graduated with a law degree in 1906. He passed the Foreign Service Entry Exam and entered Japan's diplomatic corps that same year, shortly after Japan's victory in the [[Russo-Japanese War]].{{sfn|Watanabe|2016|pp=24-26}}

==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}}

==During the Pacific War==
Although considered a "hawk" on China, Yoshida was firmly against war with the United States and United Kingdom. Despite holding no official positions during [[World War II]], he was active in trying to prevent war with the Allies, and then to try to bring about an early end of the war, allying himself with Prince [[Fumimaro Konoe]].{{sfn|Dower|1988|p=227}}

Right before the [[Pacific War]] began, Yoshida joined Konoe in unsuccessfully attempting to deescalate the situation. During the war, Yoshida continued to associate with Konoe in trying to get the government to negotiate a peace with the Allies. In April 1945, he was arrested and briefly imprisoned over his association with Prince Konoe.{{sfn|Dower|1988|p=227}}

==Post-war period and premiership==
[[File:The Shidehara Cabinet.jpg|thumb|left|The Shidehara Cabinet, with Yoshida on the far right, front row]]
Following the [[Surrender of Japan|Japanese surrender]] in August 1945, the [[Occupation of Japan|Allied occupation]] of the country began. Yoshida was brought out of retirement to serve as foreign minister in the [[Higashikuni Cabinet|cabinet]] of [[Prince Higashikuni]] after the resignation of [[Mamoru Shigemitsu]] in September 1945. At that point, the main function of the foreign minister was to liaise with the occupation authority: the [[Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers]]. As such, Yoshida came into regular contact with General [[Douglas MacArthur]]. When Prince Higashikuni resigned Yoshida was approached by the [[Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal]] [[Koichi Kido]] to become prime minister, but he turned him down and suggested [[Kijuro Shidehara]] for the post, who was duly appointed. Yoshida remained foreign minister in the [[Shidehara Cabinet]].{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=309-310}}

The [[1946 Japanese general election|first post-war election]] in April 1946 brought a plurality of the seats in the Diet to the [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1945)|Liberal Party]] led by Yoshida's old friend [[Ichirō Hatoyama]]. Hatoyama was expected to become prime minister, but was abruptly [[Purge (occupied Japan)|purged]] by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers on the eve of his appointment. Hatoyama approached Yoshida to take his place as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, despite Yoshida not even being a member of the party. Although reluctant, Yoshida eventually accepted, becoming prime minister of Japan on 22 May 1946. In the same month he joined the Liberal Party and was first made chairman of the general council before being formally elected party president four months later.{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=309-310}}

===First premiership===
[[File:Nihon Kenpo02.jpg|thumb|right|The Constitution of Japan signed by the Emperor, Prime Minister Yoshida and other ministers]]
Yoshida's first cabinet was based on a coalition between the Liberal Party and the [[Japan Progressive Party]] led by former prime minister Shidehara. The cabinet notably included Shidehara as minister without portfolio and [[Tanzan Ishibashi]] as finance minister. Yoshida remained as foreign minister concurrently. The cabinet implemented several reforms based on occupation directives, the scope of which Yoshida personally resisted. Yoshida oversaw the adoption of the post-war [[Constitution of Japan]], which was promulgated on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947. Yoshida, a warm supporter of the imperial institution, did not believe that the revised constitution fundamentally changed the ''[[kokutai]]''.{{sfn|Finn|1992|p=115}}{{sfn|Finn|1992|pp=125}}

In terms of economic policy, Yoshida and Finance Minister Ishibashi initiated a "priority production system" (傾斜生産方式, ''keisha seisan hoshiki'') designed to increase production of steel and coal as they were essential for reconstruction. This system was based on the theories of Hiromi Arisawa, an economic expert who advised Yoshida.{{sfn|Finn|1992|p=146}}

The cabinet had to face significant social unrest due to the impoverished situation and labour disputes at the time. These issues came to a head when the labour movement called for a [[February 1 General Strike (1947)|general strike]] to take place on 1 February 1947. Yoshida believed that the strike would be an economic catastrophe, which could create the conditions for a communist revolution. The situation was resolved when General MacArthur prohibited the strike before it could take place on January 31. Afterwards, MacArthur communicated to Yoshida that a new election should be called.{{sfn|Finn|1992|p=136}}{{sfn|Yoshida|Nara|2007|p=187}}

===Opposition===
The election was held in [[1947 Japanese general election|April 1947 election]]. Yoshida himself stood for election for the first time, choosing for his constituency [[Kochi Prefecture]], where his family originated.{{sfn|Yoshida|Nara|2007|p=71}} While Yoshida won his election, a plurality of the seats in the House of Representatives went to the [[Japan Socialist Party]]. Yoshida was approached by [[Tetsu Katayama]] and [[Suehiro Nishio]], respectively chairman and secretary general of the Socialist Party, about including the Liberal Party in a [[grand coalition]], but he declined because he considered the left-wing of the Socialist Party too close to the communists. The Socialists instead formed a coalition with only the [[Democratic Party (Japan, 1947)|Democratic Party]], which had been formed by merging the Progressive Party with defectors led by [[Hitoshi Ashida]] from the Liberal Party, and the [[National Cooperative Party]]. Yoshida was succeeded by [[Tetsu Katayama]] on 24 May 1947.{{sfn|Finn|1992|p=149}}{{sfn|Finn|1992|p=162}}

Yoshida and his party thus entered the opposition. Yoshida used this time to strengthen his party and consolidate his leadership. Shortly after the [[Katayama Cabinet]] was replaced by the [[Ashida Cabinet]] in March 1948, the Liberal Party formed into the [[Democratic Liberal Party (Japan)|Democratic Liberal Party]] by merging with a breakaway group led by Shidehara from the Democratic Party.{{sfn|Finn|1992|pp=169-170}}

==Second premiership==
After the fall of the Ashida Cabinet, Yoshida returned to the post of prime minister on 15 October 1948. He soon called an [[1949 Japanese general election|election]] which was held in January 1949; his party won in a landslide. 

In order to fill the places left by purged politicians, Yoshida had recruited a large number of former bureaucrats to serve as candidates for the party, including [[Hayato Ikeda]], [[Eisaku Sato]] and [[Katsuo Okazaki]]. Many of these were elected for the first time in the 1949 election. This group would be the core of Yoshida’s own informal faction, known as the ”Yoshida School."{{sfn|Dower|1988|pp=315-316}}

===Dodge Line===
[[File:Hayato Ikeda meets Joseph Dodge.jpg|thumb|left|[[Joseph Dodge]] meets Finance Minister [[Hayato Ikeda]] in 1949.]]
{{Main|Dodge Line}}
In February after the election, [[Joseph Dodge]] arrived in Japan as financial adviser to SCAP with a mission to stabilize the Japanese economy, which was suffering from rampant inflation and other problems. The [[Dodge Line]], as the plan advocated by Dodge would be called, prescribed strict austerity measures that significantly curtailed public spending and government subsidies.{{sfn|Park|2011|pp=61-65}}{{sfn|Metzler|2013|pp=120-122}}

Yoshida appointed Hayato Ikeda finance minister later the same month. Although Yoshida and Ikeda had apprehensions about the Dodge Line, they had no choice but to implement occupation policy. The plan was successful in ending hyperinflation, but it also caused severe short-term hardship. The decreased money supply led to a wave of bankruptcies and increased unemployment. Furthermore, spending cuts necessitated mass layoffs in the public sector.{{sfn|Park|2011|pp=61-65}}{{sfn|Metzler|2013|pp=122-124}}{{sfn|Metzler|2013|pp=128}}

This situation continued until the outbreak of the [[Korean War]] in June 1950. The war led to an economic boom stimulated by demand for goods and services from Japan by the American forces in Korea. Yoshida described this as a ”gift from the gods.”{{sfn|Dower|1988|p=424}}

===Treaty of San Francisco===
[[File:Yoshida signs San Francisco Peace Treaty.jpg|thumb|Yoshida signs the Treaty of San Francisco]]
In April 1950 Yoshida sent Finance Minister Ikeda, together with Ikeda’s secretary [[Kiichi Miyazawa]] and Yoshida’s confidant [[Jiro Shirasu]], to Washington. On the pretext of an economic mission, Ikeda conveyed the message that the Japanese government would accept a continued U. S. military presence after the occupation in order to ensure Japan’s security and make an early peace treaty possible.{{sfn|Eldridge|Kusunoki|1999|p=97}} President Truman assigned the responsibility of negotiating a peace treaty to [[John Foster Dulles]]. Dulles met with Yoshida in Tokyo for the first time in June 1950, only days before the outbreak of the Korean War. They subsequently met several times to negotiate the treaty.{{sfn|Eldridge|Kusunoki|1999|pp=125-126}}{{sfn|Hosoya|2013|p=210}}

In September 1951, Yoshida signed the [[Treaty of San Francisco]], a peace treaty with the Allies that would serve as a formal peace agreement and bring about the end of the occupation of Japan when the treaty took effect in April 1952. Yoshida also signed the [[Security Treaty between the United States and Japan|Security Treaty]], which inaugurated the post-war military alliance between Japan and the United States. During a stopover in [[Hawaii]] on the way back from San Francisco, he also paid a visit to [[Pearl Harbor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/5866d71a444a498092e15e69e031eb62/japan-ex-pm-yoshidas-forgotten-pearl-harbor-visit-recounted|title=Japan ex-PM Yoshida's forgotten Pearl Harbor visit recounted|website=[[Associated Press]]|date=26 December 2016}}</ref>

===Yoshida Doctrine===
The [[Yoshida Doctrine]] was a strategy adopted by Japan under Yoshida starting in 1951. He concentrated upon reconstructing Japan's domestic economy while relying heavily on the [[Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan|security alliance with the United States]]. Firstly, Japan is firmly allied with the United States in the [[Cold War]] against communism. Secondly, Japan relies on American military strength and limits its own defense forces to a minimum. Thirdly, Japan emphasizes economic diplomacy in its world affairs. The Yoshida doctrine was accepted by the United States; the actual term was coined in 1977. The economic dimension was fostered by [[Hayato Ikeda]] who served as his finance minister and later was prime minister. The Yoshida Doctrine shaped Japanese foreign policy into the 21st century. Most historians argue the policy was wise and successful, but a minority criticize it as naïve and inappropriate.<ref>Yoneyuki  Sugita, "The Yoshida Doctrine as a myth." ''Japanese Journal of American Studies'' 27 (2016): 123-143 [http://www.jaas.gr.jp/jjas/pdf/2016/06_SUGIYAMA.pdf online].</ref>

===Conflict with Hatoyama===
[[File:Yoshida meets Hatoyama.jpg|thumb|left|Yoshida meeting with [[Ichirō Hatoyama]]]]
Before the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco Ichirō Hatoyama had been released from the purge. Since Yoshida had originally become prime minister as a replacement for Hatoyama, many expected him to step down in Hatoyama's favour, but by this time Yoshida had become a well-established politician in his own right and had no intention to retire. This led to a conflict with Hatoyama.<ref name=NDL>{{cite web |url=https://www.ndl.go.jp/modern/e/cha6/description03.html |title=6-3 Confrontation between Yoshida and Hatoyama |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2006–2010 |website=Modern Japan in archives |publisher=National Diet Library |access-date=21 June 2024 }}</ref>

According to CIA files that were declassified in 2005, there was a 1952 plot to assassinate Yoshida and replace him with Ichirō Hatoyama as prime minister. The plot was led by [[Takushiro Hattori]], who served as an [[Imperial Japanese Army]] officer, and had the support of 500,000 Japanese people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1Y1-103753957.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924205011/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1Y1-103753957.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|title=CIA Papers Reveal 1950s Japan Coup Plot|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=28 February 2007|access-date=11 August 2015 |via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref>

Dissatisfaction with his leadership led to the defection of many Diet members from his party to the new [[Democratic Party (Japan, 1954)|Democratic Party]], causing his cabinet to resign on December 7, 1954, rather than face a no-confidence vote. He was replaced by [[Ichirō Hatoyama]] on December 10, 1954. Yoshida resigned as party president in favour of [[Taketora Ogata]] at the same time. He remained in the Diet until his retirement in 1963.

==Later years and legacy==
[[File:Grave of Shigeru Yoshida, in the Aoyama Cemetery.jpg|thumb|right|Yoshida's grave in the Aoyama Cemetery]]
After his resignation he spent most of his time at his villa in Oiso, though he remained a member of the House of Representatives until [[1963 Japanese general election|1963]]. Yoshida served a president of the America-Japan Society from 1960 and as chancellor of [[Kogakkan University]] from 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ajstokyo.org/en/about/ |title=What We Are |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2016 |publisher=The America-Japan Society, Inc. |access-date=28 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kogakkan-u.ac.jp/english/about/history.php |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Kogakkan University |access-date=28 June 2024 }}</ref> He was also president of the [[Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums]].<ref>Miller, Ian Jared, ''The Nature of the Beasts: Empire and Exhibition at the Tokyo Imperial Zoo,'' p. 187</ref>

Shigeru Yoshida died on 20 October 1967 at his home in Oiso. He was baptized on his deathbed, having hidden his [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] throughout most of his life. His funeral was held in [[St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo]] and he was buried at [[Aoyama Cemetery]].

His state funeral was held in [[Nippon Budokan]] on 31 October 1967 in the presence of the [[Akihito|Crown Prince]] and [[Empress Michiko|Princess]].

Under Yoshida's leadership, Japan began to rebuild its lost industrial infrastructure and placed a premium on unrestrained economic growth. Many of these concepts still impact Japan's political and economic policies. However, since the 1970s environmental movement, the bursting of Japan's economic bubble, and the end of the Cold War, Japan has been struggling to redefine its national goals. Yoshida has long been regarded as prioritising the economy over defense, but recent years have seen a reevaluation of this viewpoint. 

In his 1982 book "Leaders", US President [[Richard Nixon]] praised Yoshida as one of the greatest world leaders during his lifetime for his role in Japan's post-WWII economic miracle.{{sfn|Nixon|1982|pp=80-140}}

==Personal life==
In 1909, Yoshida married Makino Yukiko, the eldest daughter of [[Makino Nobuaki]].<ref>Lockhart, Charles: ''Protecting the Elderly: How Culture Shapes Social Policy''</ref> They had four children: Sakurako, [[Ken'ichi Yoshida (literary scholar)|Kenichi]], Kazuko, and Masao. Two of Yoshida's grandchildren are [[Tarō Asō]], who served as the 92nd prime minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009, and [[Princess Tomohito of Mikasa|Nobuko Asō]], who later married [[Prince Tomohito of Mikasa]], a first cousin of [[Emperor Akihito]].

==Honours==
* Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] (29 April 1940)<ref name="ReferenceA">''From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia''</ref>
* Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]] (29 April 1964)<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* Collar of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]] (20 October 1967; posthumous)<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[List of Japanese court ranks, positions and hereditary titles|Junior First Rank]] (20 October 1967; posthumous)<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Golden Pheasant Award]] of the [[Scout Association of Japan]] (1967)<ref name="reinanzaka">{{Cite web |date=2014-05-23|script-title=ja:䝪䞊䜲䝇䜹䜴䝖日本連盟 きじ章受章者 |trans-title=Recipient of the Golden Pheasant Award of the Scout Association of Japan |url=http://reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811030258/http://reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-11 |website=Reinanzaka Scout Club| language=ja}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | first=John W. | last=Dower | title=Empire and Aftermath: Yoshida Shigeru and the Japanese Experience, 1878–1954 | publisher=Harvard University Press | edition=2nd | year=1988 | isbn=0-674-25125-3}}
* Edström, Bert. ''Yoshida Shigeru and the Foundation of Japan's Postwar Foreign Policy.''
* {{cite book | first=Richard B. | last=Finn | title=Winners in peace: MacArthur, Yoshida, and Postwar Japan | publisher=University of California Press | year=1992 | isbn=978-0-520-33323-9}}
* [[Hirose Takashi (writer)|Takashi Hirose]] ([[:jp:広瀬隆|広瀬隆]]); 『私物国家 日本の黒幕の系図』 Tokyo:[[Kobunsha]] (1997) Genealogy14
* Iriye, Akira. "Japan Returns to the World: Yoshida Shigeru and His Legacy." ''The Diplomats, 1939-1979'' (Princeton University Press, 2019) pp.&nbsp;321–336. [https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv8pz9nc.17 online]
* {{cite book |last=Nish |first=Ian |date=2007 |title=Japanese Envoys in Britain, 1862-1964 |url={{Google books|rfV5DwAAQBAJ|page=163|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=Global Oriental |isbn=978-9004213456}}
* {{cite book|last=Okazaki|first=Hisahiko|title=Yoshida Shigeru and His Time |url=https://www.jpicinternational.com/books/biography/c6986e0cdfbaeed96bca3edb67ac41f75c94ebfa.html |publisher=Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture |date=2019 |isbn=9784866580708}}
* Rodan, Garry, Hewison, Kevin and Robison, Richard. (1997). ''The Political Economy of South-East Asia: An Introduction.'' Melbourne: [[Oxford University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-195-53736-9}}; [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/464661946&referer=brief_results  OCLC 464661946]
* McGrew, Anthony and Christopher Book.'' (1998) ''Asia-Pacific in the New World Order.'' London: [[Routledge]]. {{ISBN|978-0-415-17272-1}}; {{ISBN|978-0-415-17271-4}}; [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60184921&referer=brief_results  OCLC 60184921]
* {{cite book | first1=Shigeru | last1=Yoshida | first2=Hiroshi | last2=Nara | title=Shigeru: Last Meiji Man | publisher=Harvard University Press | year=2007 | place=Lanham, Maryland | isbn=978-0-742-53933-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Metzler |first=Mark D. |date=2013 |title=Capital as Will and Imagination: Schumpeter's Guide to the Postwar Japanese Miracle |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx5rj |location=Ithaca, New York |publisher=Cornell University Press |jstor=10.7591/j.ctt1xx5rj |isbn=978-0801451799}}
* {{cite book |last=Park |first=Gene |date=2011 |title=Spending Without Taxation : FILP and the Politics of Public Finance in Japan |url={{Google books|A38cjcS2fVoC|plainurl=yes}}|location=Redwood City |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0804773300}}
* {{cite book |last1=Nixon |first1=Richard |title=Leaders |date=25 October 1982 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |isbn=978-0-446-51249-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PmJsAAAAIAAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Eldridge |first1=Robert D. |last2=Kusunoki |first2=Ayako |date=1999 |title=To Base or Not to Base? Yoshida Shigeru, the 1950 Ikeda Mission, and Post-Treaty Japanese Security Conceptions |url= |journal=Kobe University Law Review |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=97–126 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=The Dulles-Yoshida Talks 1950-1951 |encyclopedia=The British Commonwealth and the Allied Occupation of Japan, 1945-1952 |year=2013 |last=Hosoya |first=Chihiro |editor-last=Nish |editor-first=Ian  |publisher=Global Oriental |location=Leiden, Boston }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Watanabe |editor-first=Akio |title=The Prime Ministers of Postwar Japan, 1945-1995 |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |location=Lanham, MD |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4985-1001-1 |url={{Google books|rG7TCwAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}}}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/040738}}
* [https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/internal/media/dispatcher/331436/full OSS Biographical Report on Yoshida dated January 1945]
 
{{s-start}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Katsuji Debuchi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs|years=1928–1930}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Matsuzo Nagai]]}}
{{s-bef|before=Michikazu Matsuda}}
{{s-ttl|title=Ambassador to Italy|years=1931–1932}}
{{s-aft|after=Hajime Matsushima}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tsuneo Matsudaira]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Ambassador to the United Kingdom|years=1936–1938}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mamoru Shigemitsu]]}}
{{s-off}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]|years=1945–1947}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Hitoshi Ashida]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Kijūrō Shidehara]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Japan]]|years=1946–1947}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Tetsu Katayama]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Hitoshi Ashida]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]|years=1948–1952}}
{{s-aft|after={{nowrap|[[Katsuo Okazaki]]}}}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Japan]]|years=1948–1954}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ichirō Hatoyama]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Bukichi Miki]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the General Council,<br>[[Liberal Party (Japan, 1945)|Liberal Party]]|years=1946}}
{{s-aft|after=Nirō Hoshijima}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ichiro Hatoyama]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1945)|Liberal Party]]|years=1946–1948}}
{{s-non|reason=Merged into<br>Democratic Liberal Party}}
{{s-new|reason=Party founded}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the [[Democratic Liberal Party (Japan)|Democratic Liberal Party]]|years=1948–1950}}
{{s-non|reason=Merged into<br>Liberal Party}}
{{s-new|reason=Party founded}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of the [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1950)|Liberal Party]]|years=1950–1954}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Taketora Ogata]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Prime Ministers of Japan}}
{{Japanese foreign ministers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshida, Shigeru}}
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century prime ministers of Japan]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Japan to Italy]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Japan to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ministers for foreign affairs of Japan]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Japanese anti-communists]]
[[Category:Japanese prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Japanese Roman Catholics]]
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[[Category:Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians]]
[[Category:Democratic Liberal Party (Japan) politicians]]
[[Category:Liberal Party (Japan, 1945) politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Peers (Japan)]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan)]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kōchi Prefecture]]
[[Category:People from Chiyoda, Tokyo]]
[[Category:People from Yokosuka, Kanagawa]]
[[Category:People of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Politicians from Tokyo]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Japan]]
[[Category:University of Tokyo alumni]]