Eiichi Baba

A bureaucrat and politician in the Taisho and early Showa periods. Born on October 5, 1879, into the Yamamoto family in Tokyo, he was later adopted into the Baba family. He graduated from the law department of Tokyo Imperial University. He joined the Ministry of Finance in 1903 (Meiji 36), and served as a financial auditor for Korea and counselor of the Legislative Bureau. In 1922 (Taisho 11), he became director of the Legislative Bureau and a member of the House of Peers (affiliated with the Research Association), and in 1927 (Showa 2), he became president of the Industrial Bank of Japan. In 1936, shortly after the February 26 Incident, he became Minister of Finance in the Hirota Koki cabinet, and announced his abandonment of the policy of gradually reducing public debt, tax increases, and low interest rates, in other words, his departure from Takahashi's fiscal policy. Baba's fiscal policy, which hastily aimed for military expansion and tax increases, caused great unrest in the financial world. In June 1937, he was recommended by the military as Minister of the Home Office in the first Konoe Fumimaro Cabinet, but died of illness on December 21 of the same year.

[Yasuyuki Hikita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大正・昭和初期の官僚、政治家。明治12年10月5日、東京の山本家に生まれ、のちに馬場家の養子となる。東京帝国大学法科卒業。1903年（明治36）大蔵省に入り、韓国財政監査官、法制局参事官を経て、1922年（大正11）法制局長官、貴族院議員（研究会所属）、1927年（昭和2）日本勧業銀行総裁となる。1936年、二・二六事件直後の広田弘毅(ひろたこうき)内閣の蔵相となるや、公債漸減主義の放棄、増税、低金利政策、すなわち高橋財政からの決別を表明。性急に軍拡、増税を目ざした馬場財政は、財界にも大きな動揺を与えた。1937年6月、軍部の推薦で第一次近衛文麿(このえふみまろ)内閣の内相となったが、同年12月21日病没。

［疋田康行］

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