Jotaro Kawakami

Politician. Born in Tokyo on January 3, 1889. His father was a Christian who served as the first council member of the Yuaikai Association. He was influenced by Nitobe Inazo and Takano Iwasaburo at the First Higher School and the Faculty of Law at Tokyo Imperial University, and was a professor at Kwansei Gakuin University until 1927 (Showa 2). During this time, he became head of the Kobe branch of the Political Research Association in 1924 (Taisho 13), joined the Japan Labor-Farmer Party in 1926, and was elected in the first general election in 1928 from Hyogo 1st district. When Yamamoto Senji was stabbed to death by a right-winger in 1929, he gave a memorial speech at the House of Representatives plenary session on March 6, the day after, saying, "I believe that the people of the future will rise again, using Yamamoto's corpse as a stepping stone," which caused a great stir. He was elected consecutively as a member of the Social Mass Party in the general elections of 1936 and 1937. After the political party was dissolved, he became general manager of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, and was elected as a recommended candidate in the Imperial Rule Assistance Association election, which led to his ban from public office after World War II. In August 1952 (Showa 27), he returned to politics as chairman of the right-wing Socialist Party, and in his speech he said, "To me, chairmanship is a cross. I have resolved to carry this cross and fight until I die," earning him the nickname "Chairman of the Cross." He then worked hard to unify the Socialist Party, and after unification in 1955, he served as chairman from 1961 to 1965, dying of illness on December 3rd of the same year.

[Shoji Arakawa]

"My Resume, Volume 13 (1961, Nihon Keizai Shimbun)" ▽ "Kawakami Jotaro, edited by the Former Chairman Kawakami Memorial Publication Committee (1966, Japan Socialist Party Press)" ▽ "Beyond the Muragumi Clouds, by Kawakami Sueko (1962, Tokai University Press)" ▽ "Majestic Leaders: Learning from the History of People in the Showa Period, by Haga Sui (2008, Seiryu Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

政治家。明治22年1月3日東京市生まれ。父は友愛会初代評議員を務めたクリスチャンであった。第一高等学校、東京帝国大学法学部では新渡戸稲造(にとべいなぞう)、高野岩三郎の感化を受け、1927年（昭和2）まで関西学院大学教授。この間、1924年（大正13）政治研究会神戸支部長、1926年日本労農党に参加して1928年の第1回普通選挙で兵庫1区から当選した。1929年山本宣治(やまもとせんじ)が右翼に刺殺されると、翌日3月6日の衆議院本会議で「山本君の屍(しかばね)を踏台として、将来の民衆が再び立つ時があると私は信じて居る」と追悼演説し非常な反響をよぶ。1936、1937年の総選挙では社会大衆党から連続当選。政党解消後、大政翼賛会総務となり、翼賛選挙では推薦候補として当選、第二次世界大戦後の公職追放の理由となる。1952年（昭和27）8月右派社会党委員長として政界復帰、「委員長は私にとって十字架であります。十字架を背負うて死に至るまで戦うことを決意いたしました」とあいさつ、「十字架委員長」とよばれる。その後、社会党統一に尽力、1955年統一後、1961年から1965年まで委員長を務め、同年12月3日病で没した。

［荒川章二］

『『私の履歴書　第13集』（1961・日本経済新聞社）』▽『河上前委員長記念出版委員会編『河上丈太郎』（1966・日本社会党機関紙局）』▽『河上末子著『むら雲のかなたに』（1962・東海大学出版会）』▽『芳賀綏著『威風堂々の指導者たち――昭和人物史に学ぶ』（2008・清流出版）』

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