Yoshitaro Hirano

Marxist legal scholar and social activist. Born in Tsukiji, Tokyo on March 5, 1897. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo Imperial University in 1921 (Taisho 10), he became an assistant professor in the civil law department in 1921. He published his debut work, Roman Thought and Germanic Thought in Civil Law (1924), followed by Class Struggle in Law (1925), which brought him into the limelight as a Marxist legal scholar. From 1927 to 1930 (Showa 2-5), he studied in Germany, where he came into contact with Comintern activists such as Katayama Sen, and continued to engage in anti-war activities after returning to Japan. In 1930, he was arrested for violating the Peace Preservation Law, dismissed from the police force, and given a conviction (with a suspended sentence). He edited Lectures on the History of the Development of Japanese Capitalism (1932-33) with Noro Eitaro and others, and was seen as a central advocate of the Lecture School school of Marxism. He was arrested in 1961 in connection with the Com Academy Incident, but was found innocent. During the war, he served as the head of research at the Pacific Research Institute, and conducted research in China and Southeast Asia. After World War II, he worked hard to establish the China Research Institute, and was active in the peace movement as a leader of intellectuals affiliated with the Japanese Communist Party. His books include political works such as "Class Struggle in Law" (1925) and "Japanese Capitalist Society and Law" (1956), as well as "The Life of Oi Kentaro Majo." He died on February 8, 1980.

[Ryuichi Nagao]

Edited by the Editorial Committee: "Yoshitaro Hirano - People and Learning" (1981, Otsuki Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

マルクス主義法学者、社会運動家。明治30年3月5日東京・築地(つきじ)に生まれる。1921年（大正10）東京帝国大学法学部を卒業後、民法専攻の助手を経て24年助教授となる。処女作『民法に於(お)けるローマ思想とゲルマン思想』（1924）に続いて『法律における階級闘争』（1925）を世に問うて、マルクス主義法学者として脚光を浴びた。27～30年（昭和2～5）ドイツに留学、片山潜(せん)らコミンテルン活動家と接触し、帰国後も反戦活動に従事。30年治安維持法違反で検挙されて免官、有罪判決（執行猶予）を受ける。『日本資本主義発達史講座』（1932～33）を野呂(のろ)栄太郎らと編集し、講座派マルクス主義の中心的主張者と目された。36年コム・アカデミー事件で検挙されたが無罪。戦時中は太平洋調査会調査部長として、中国、東南アジアなどの調査活動にあたる。第二次世界大戦後は中国研究所などの創設に尽力し、日本共産党系知識人の指導者として、平和運動などに活躍した。著書には『法律における階級闘争』（1925）、『日本資本主義社会と法律』（1956）など政治的なものや『馬城大井憲太郎伝』などもある。昭和55年2月8日死去。

［長尾龍一］

『編集委員会編『平野義太郎――人と学問』（1981・大月書店）』

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