Koichi Kido

Court politician. Marquis. Born in Tokyo. Grandson of Kido Takayoshi, a former statesman of the Meiji period. Eldest son of Marquis Kido Takamasa. Studied at Gakushuin and graduated from the Faculty of Law at Kyoto Imperial University. In 1915 (Taisho 4), he joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. The following year, he succeeded to the peerage and became a member of the House of Peers. In 1922, together with Konoe Fumimaro and Arima Yoriyasu, he founded the "Reformist Aristocrats" group, the Eleventh Association, and began his work as a court politician who would succeed elder statesmen Saionji Kinmochi and Makino Nobuaki. In 1925, he worked at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. In 1930 (Showa 5), ​​he became Chief Secretary to the Minister of the Interior. In 1933, he also served as President of the Sochitsuryo. He appeared on the political stage in 1937 as Minister of Education and Minister of Health and Welfare in the first Konoe Cabinet. In 1939, he became Minister of the Interior in the Hiranuma Kiichiro Cabinet. In 1940, he was appointed Minister of the Interior, and as a close aide to the Emperor, he held real power in national politics. He demonstrated leadership in senior statesmen's conferences, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Tojo Hideki Cabinet in 1941. He was the court politician closest to the Emperor, and as the war situation worsened, he struggled to work for peace by "preserving the national polity." After Japan's defeat, he was tried at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East as a Class A war criminal, and in 1948 (Showa 23) was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released on parole due to illness in 1955, and pardoned in 1958. He then lived in seclusion in Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture. Many documents, such as diaries and testimonies, remain, and published works include "Kido Diary" (vols. 1 and 2, Tokyo Trial Period) and "Documents Related to Kido Koichi."

[Yuji Odabe]

"David Titus, translated by Kenshiro Otani, "The Imperial Politics of Japan: A Study of the Role of the Imperial Court" (1979, Simul Publishing Co.)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

宮中政治家。侯爵。東京生まれ。明治の元勲木戸孝允(たかよし)の孫。侯爵木戸孝正の長男。学習院に学び、京都帝国大学法学部を卒業。1915年（大正4）農商務省入り。翌年襲爵し貴族院議員となる。1922年、近衛文麿(このえふみまろ)、有馬頼寧(ありまよりやす)らとともに「革新貴族」グループ十一会を発足させ、元老西園寺公望(さいおんじきんもち)、牧野伸顕(まきののぶあき)の次代を担う宮中政治家としての活動を始める。1925年商工省勤務。1930年（昭和5）内大臣秘書官長。1933年宗秩寮(そうちつりょう)総裁を兼任。1937年第一次近衛内閣の文相兼厚相として政治の表舞台に登場する。1939年平沼騏一郎(ひらぬまきいちろう)内閣内相。1940年内大臣就任、天皇側近として国政の実権を握る。重臣会議で主導性を発揮し、1941年東条英機(とうじょうひでき)内閣成立に尽力。天皇にもっとも密着していた宮中政治家で、戦局が悪化すると「国体護持」による和平工作に苦慮した。敗戦後、A級戦犯として極東国際軍事裁判にかけられ、1948年（昭和23）終身禁錮の判決を受ける。1955年病気のため仮釈放、1958年赦免。以後神奈川県大磯(おおいそ)に隠棲(いんせい)。日記や証言など多くの資料が残されており、公刊されたものとしては『木戸日記』（上・下・東京裁判期）、『木戸幸一関係文書』などがある。

［小田部雄次］

『デイビッド・タイタス著、大谷堅志郎訳『日本の天皇政治――宮中の役割の研究』（1979・サイマル出版会）』

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