Kenzo Asahara

Labor activist. Born in Fukuoka Prefecture. While studying hard at Nihon University's specialist department, he became involved with the Seiyukai parliamentary group and sympathized with syndicalism. In 1919 (Taisho 8), he founded the Japan Labor Friendship Association in Yahata, Fukuoka Prefecture, and the following year led a strike at the Yahata Steel Works, becoming famous for his words, "The fires in the molten iron furnaces have gone out." He led the labor movement in Kitakyushu, and in 1925 he organized the Kyushu Minkento, and was elected to the House of Representatives twice, in 1928 (Showa 3) and 1930. He then left the proletarian movement, deepened his friendship with the "Manchuria Group" of the army, including Ishiwara Kanji, and engaged in political maneuvering at the Manchuria Kyowakai Tokyo office. He was arrested by the military police in 1938, but released the following year, and campaigned against the Tojo Cabinet at the end of World War II. After the war, he became the chairman of the West Japan Construction Federation in 1951.

[Shiro Akazawa]

"Showa Military Police History" by Keijiro Otani (1966, Misuzu Shobo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

労働運動家。福岡県生まれ。苦学して日本大学専門部に通ううちに政友会院外団に関係し、またサンジカリズムに共鳴。1919年（大正8）福岡県八幡(やはた)で日本労友会を結成して、翌年八幡製鉄所の争議を指導、「熔礦炉(ようこうろ)の火は消えたり」の言葉で有名になる。北九州の労働運動を指導して1925年九州民憲党を組織し、1928年（昭和3）と1930年の2回衆議院議員に当選した。その後、無産運動から離れ、石原莞爾(かんじ)ら陸軍の「満州グループ」と親交を深め、満州協和会東京事務所にあって政界工作に従事。1938年憲兵隊に逮捕されるが翌1939年釈放され、第二次世界大戦末期には東条内閣反対運動を行った。戦後は1951年（昭和26）西日本建設連盟を主宰した。

［赤澤史朗］

『大谷敬二郎著『昭和憲兵史』（1966・みすず書房）』

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