Mitsumasa Yonai

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(March 2 1880 – April 20 1948) was a Japanese admiral and politician. He was the 37th Prime Minister of Japan from January 16 1940 to July 22 1940.

Military career

He was born in Iwate Prefecture. He was graduated from Naval Academy, 1901; Ensign, January 1903; Lt(jg), July 1904; Lt, September 1906; LtCdr, December 1912; was graduated from Naval war College, 1913; Resident Naval Officer, Russia, 1915; Commander, December 1916; Sasebo Naval District, 1917; Navy General Staff, 1918; Captain, December 1920; Chief of Staff, Japanese Second Fleet (Rear Admiral), December 1925; Navy General Staff-Member, Technical Council, Navy Technical Department, December 1926; Commander-in-Chief, First Expeditionary Fleet (Yangtze River), December 1928; vice-Admiral, December 1930 (commanded Chinkai Naval Station,Chosen); commanded Third Fleet, December 1932; commanded Sasebo Naval District, November 1933; commanded Japanese Second Fleet, November 1934; commanded Yokosuka Naval District, December 1935; Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet--and, concurrently, Japanese First Fleet, December 1936; Navy Minister (in Hayashi, first Konoye, and Hiranuma cabinets), February 1937-August 1939; Admiral, April 1937; Supreme War Councillor (Cabinet status), August 1939 Imperial Councillor; Prime Minister, January 16, 1940 (placed on reserve list); resigned July 21, 1940 (became Jushin-Elder Statesman); Deputy Prime Minister-concurrently Navy Minister (Koiso-Yonai Cabinet), July 22, 1944; returned to active duty list during tenure as Navy Minister; retained as Navy Minister, Suzuki Cabinet, April 1945; adviser to War Relief Association, April 1945; Navy Minister, Higashikuni Cabinet, August 1945.

Political activity

Educated at the Naval Academy at Etajima, he served in Russia from 1915-1917, and was Commander-in-Chief of Combined Fleet from 1936-1937. Yonai served as Navy Minister from 1937-1939, and again 1944-1945. In the last few weeks before Japan's surrender, he sided with Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki and Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo in support of acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration; these three were opposed by Minister of War Korechika Anami, along with the Chiefs of Staff Admiral Soemu Toyoda and General Yoshijiro Umezu.

Linked to the military stablishment, interested in how in the past a Genrō advisers group surrounding the Emperor had been created, and seeing that the unique and last surviving genrō was Prince Kimmochi Saionji, related to the Sumitomo industrialist group, decided to organize a proper genro group, formed by himself, Nobuyuki Abe and Baron Hiranuma, for managing Imperial affairs directly.

External links

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[edit]	Prime Ministers of Japan
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