Tanzan Ishibashi

Economic commentator and politician. Born in Tokyo. After graduating from the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Letters, Waseda University, he joined the Toyo Keizai Shinposha in 1911 (Meiji 44), and after serving as editor-in-chief, became president in 1941 (Showa 16). As the editorial basis of the Toyo Keizai Shinposha was liberalism, Ishibashi, who was in charge of editorials, also harshly criticized the Manchurian Incident and the May 15 Incident from that perspective, and opposed the government's militarist policies. Ishibashi's main stage of activity before and during World War II was economic commentary. He is famous for the "Gold Ban Lifting Debate," in which he advocated for active fiscal policy against Inoue Junnosuke's fiscal austerity policy. After the war, he joined the Liberal Party and ran in the general election of 1946 (Showa 21), but was defeated. He became Minister of Finance in the first Yoshida Shigeru cabinet, and promoted inflationary policies through active fiscal policy centered on the principle of production recovery first. He was elected in the 1947 House of Representatives election (Shizuoka 2nd district), but was banned from holding public office. After his expulsion was lifted in 1951, he returned to the Liberal Party, but was expelled after starting an anti-Yoshida new party movement with Kishi Nobusuke and others. In 1954, he participated in the formation of the Japan Democratic Party led by President Hatoyama Ichiro and became a member of the party's Supreme Committee. After the Yoshida Cabinet resigned in the same year, he became Minister of International Trade and Industry in the Hatoyama Cabinet. In December 1956, the year after the Conservative Union (the Liberal Democratic Party was established), he competed with Kishi Nobusuke in the election to succeed Hatoyama as president, and became president, forming the Ishibashi Cabinet. However, due to pneumonia, he resigned after only three months in February 1957 without having been able to fully implement his policies. He subsequently visited China and the Soviet Union, and was active in promoting exchanges with communist countries, including becoming president of the Japan-Soviet Society. He died on April 25, 1973, at the age of 88.

[Ara Takashi]

"The Complete Works of Ishibashi Tanzan, ed., The Complete Works of Ishibashi Tanzan, 15 volumes (1970-1972, Toyo Keizai Inc.)" ▽ "The Complete Works of Ishibashi Tanzan, ed., The Journey of a Liberal, ed., The Complete Works of Ishibashi Tanzan, 1973, Toyo Keizai Inc.)" ▽ " Ishibashi Tanzan - The Man and Thought, ed., Naga Yukio (1974, Toyo Keizai Inc.)" ▽ "Ishibashi Tanzan Diaries, volumes 1 and 2, ed., Ishibashi Tanichi and Ito Takashi (2001, Misuzu Shobo)" ▽ "Ishibashi Tanzan Essays, ed ., Matsuo Takatsu (Iwanami Bunko)" ▽ "Ishibashi Tanzan - The Backbone of Liberalism, by Kang Katsumi (Maruzen Library)" ▽ "Ishibashi Tanzan and Small Countryism, by Ide Magoroku (Iwanami Booklet)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

経済評論家、政治家。東京生まれ。早稲田(わせだ)大学文学部哲学科を卒業後、1911年（明治44）東洋経済新報社に入り、編集局長を経て1941年（昭和16）社長。東洋経済新報社は自由主義を編集の基本に据えていたため、社説を担当していた石橋もその立場から満州事変や五・一五事件を厳しく批判し、政府の軍国主義政策に反対した。第二次世界大戦前・戦中の石橋の主要な活動舞台は経済評論であった。井上準之助(いのうえじゅんのすけ)の財政緊縮政策に対して積極財政論を展開した「金解禁論争」は有名。戦後、自由党に入り、1946年（昭和21）総選挙に出馬したが落選。第一次吉田茂内閣の蔵相に就任し、生産復興第一主義を中心とした積極財政によってインフレ政策を推進。1947年衆院選で当選（静岡2区）したが公職追放となる。1951年の追放解除後、自由党に復帰するが、岸信介(きしのぶすけ)らと反吉田の新党運動をおこし除名され、1954年鳩山一郎(はとやまいちろう)総裁の日本民主党結成に参画し同党最高委員。同年吉田内閣退陣後、鳩山内閣で通産相。保守合同（自由民主党成立）の翌1956年12月鳩山後継総裁選挙で岸信介と争い総裁となり、石橋内閣を組閣。しかし肺炎のため十分に政策実施を行わないまま翌1957年2月わずか3か月で総辞職した。その後、中国、ソ連を訪問し、日ソ協会会長に就任するなど共産主義諸国との交流促進に活躍した。昭和48年4月25日死去、88歳。

［荒　敬］

『全集編集委員会編『石橋湛山全集』全15巻（1970～1972・東洋経済新報社）』▽『全集編集委員会編『石橋湛山――自由主義者の歩み』（1973・東洋経済新報社）』▽『長幸男編『石橋湛山――人と思想』（1974・東洋経済新報社）』▽『石橋湛一、伊藤隆編『石橋湛山日記』上下（2001・みすず書房）』▽『松尾尊兌編『石橋湛山評論集』（岩波文庫）』▽『姜克実著『石橋湛山――自由主義の背骨』（丸善ライブラリー）』▽『井出孫六著『石橋湛山と小国主義』（岩波ブックレット）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例