Eisaku Sato, Japanese prime minister, 1964-72

309 Pages·2021·2.756 MB·English

by  Ryuji Hattori

Eisaku Satō, Japanese
Prime Minister, 1964–72
This book is a biography of Eisaku Satō (1901–75), who served as prime minister
of Japan from 1964 to 1972, before Prime Minister Abe, the longest uninterrupted
premiership in Japanese history. The book focuses on Satō’s management of
Japan’s relations with the United States and Japan’s neighbors in East Asia, where
Satō worked to normalize relations with South Korea and China. It also covers
domestic Japanese politics, particularly factional politics within the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP), where Satō, as the founder of what would become the
largest LDP faction, was at the center of LDP politics for decades. The book
highlights Satō’s greatest achievement – the return of Okinawa from United
States occupation – for which, together with the establishment of the non-n uclear
principles, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the only Japanese to receive
the prize.
Ryuji Hattori is Professor in the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University,
Japan.
Graham B. Leonard is an independent translator and researcher based in Seattle,
Washington, USA.
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156 Eisaku Satō, Japanese Prime Minister, 1964–72
Okinawa, Foreign Relations, Domestic Politics and the Nobel Prize
Ryuji Hattori
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Eisaku Satō, Japanese
Prime Minister, 1964–72
Okinawa, Foreign Relations, Domestic
Politics and the Nobel Prize
Ryuji Hattori
Translated by Graham B. Leonard
First published 2021
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© 2021 Ryuji Hattori
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without intent to infringe.
First published in Japanese in 2017 by Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc., Japan as
SATŌ EISAKU: SAICHŌ FUTŌ SEIKEN ENO MICHI by Ryuji Hattori
© 2017 by Ryuji Hattori
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ISBN: 978- 0-3 67- 53776- 0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 1-0 03- 08330- 6 (ebk)
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Contents
Foreword vi
List of charts and tables ix
Map of Japan x
Factional Alignments of Notable LDP Politicians,
1955–1972 xi
Introduction – a brilliant clan: Matsuoka Yōsuke and
the three Satō brothers: Ichirō, Nobusuke, and Eisaku 1
1 From being the “Slowpoke” of the Ministry of Railways
to “Triple-J ump Eisaku” 17
2 “An Honor Student of the Yoshida School”: Satō’s
turn to politics 41
3 “The Politics of Waiting”: from Finance Minister in
the Kishi government to MITI Minister under Ikeda 81
4 “Social Development” and “Independent Foreign
Policy”: the first Satō government 121
5 The reversion of Okinawa and the “Secret Agreement”:
the second Satō government 150
6 2,797 days: the third Satō government, longest
and undefeatable 205
Conclusion – The Nobel Peace Prize: the glory
of Satō’s final years and his sudden death 234
Afterword 246
Notes 249
Index 291
Foreword
Satō Eisaku was a politician who could take pride in having served as prime
minister for 2,797 days, the longest uninterrupted administration in Japanese his-
tory. The Satō government stayed in office for an uninterrupted seven years, eight
months from 1964 to 1972. This period, stretching from the middle of Japan’s
period high- speed economic growth to its end can be regarded as a single era.
His greatest accomplishment, something he poured his heart and soul into, was
the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese administration. His government also saw
the normalization of relations between Japan and South Korea and the establish-
ment of the three non- nuclear principles, efforts which led to Satō becoming the
only Japanese to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Japan’s shinkansen and road networks were expanded, and Expo ’70, the coun-
try’s first international exposition, was held in Osaka, attracting sixty- four million
visitors. There were also negative aspects to high-s peed economic growth, and
strains such as pollution and regional disparities became apparent. This period
saw the peak of student protests at universities and the rise of “reformist local
governments” (kakushin jichitai) that opposed Satō’s party, the Liberal Demo-
cratic Party (LDP).
Satō’s predecessor, Ikeda Hayato, had pushed forward with his “income-
doubling plan.” Satō instead ran for the LDP presidency, calling for “social devel-
opment” (shakai kaihatsu), equitable development in areas like urban planning
and transportation to correct the strains caused by high-s peed economic growth.
This strategy had been developed by “S- Operation” (Satō’s brain trust) as a way
to compete with Ikeda. At the center of S- Operation was Kusuda Minoru, a former
reporter at the Sankei Shimbun, who would become Satō’s chief secretary when he
was prime minister. While “social development” lacked the flashiness of Ikeda’s
income-d oubling plan, it matched Satō’s character. Satō wanted to protect oth-
ers, and this policy was intended to alleviate the negative aspects of high- speed
economic growth.
While it is difficult to grasp a true picture of the man, Satō was warm-h earted
and the leader of a large faction within the LDP. This difficulty is reflected in the
large number of nicknames he received. Rarely is a politician as multifaceted
as Satō was. Some of the major nicknames he received were “Satō the human
resources expert” (jinji no Satō), “sharp-e ared Eisaku” (hayamimi Eisaku), and
Foreword vii
“one- on- one Satō” (sashi no Satō). And his political approach was characterized
as “the politics of waiting” (machi no seiji).
His unwillingness to reveal his true intentions drove reporters mad and led
to him having a reputation as a schemer. Hence his nickname of “the old tanuki
of Awashima” and why it was whispered that “there are no scoops to be had in
Awashima.” (Awashima refers to the area of Setagaya where Satō lived in Tokyo.)
There were also those like Nakasone Yasuhiro who criticized Satō’s government
for being a “one-s ided conservative cabinet” (uyoku katahai naikaku). Satō had
never lacked for nicknames; during his time at the Ministry of Railways, he was
first known for being “slow-f ooted” (donsoku) but later came to be called “triple-
jump Eisaku” (sandan- tobi no Eisaku).
So why should we discuss Satō today?
First, he can be regarded as an indispensable figure when considering the ori-
gins of the LDP, the party at the center of Japanese politics for almost all of the
postwar period. Satō belonged to the conservative mainstream (hoshu honryū)
faction associated with Yoshida Shigeru from the beginning of the Liberal Party
era. As the younger brother of Kishi Nobusuke, he was also the great- uncle of Abe
Shinzō. While a distant relative of Yoshida, it was his uncle Matsuoka Yōsuke
who Satō greatly admired in the prewar period. Matsuoka was a diplomat and
member of the House of Representatives who would go on to serve as foreign
minister under Konoe Fumimaro.
Second, Satō’s “brain trust politics” (as exemplified by his use of S- Operation
and the Council on Okinawan and Other Problems) can be considered a predeces-
sor of the Kantei-o riented politics that draw attention today. Satō’s Kantei- led
policymaking not only led to him having the longest uninterrupted administration
in Japanese history, but it is also what made him seem like a “true prime minister.”
When we hear those words, we envision a politician who is almost aggravatingly
tough and audacious, whose mere presence is intimidating. Satō was truly that
kind of man.
Third, his greatest accomplishment in office was achieving the reversion of
Okinawa to Japanese administration, a feat that serves as a cornerstone of US-
Japan relations. It is known that Wakaizumi Kei, a professor at Kyoto Sangyō
University, acted as a secret emissary for Satō during the negotiations over this.
The creation of a secret agreement over nuclear weapons between Satō and Nixon,
something that became a major issue, can be entirely attributed to Satō’s decision
to use Wakaizumi in this way. Satō’s nature was to be cautious in all things, and
he liked to be secretive, aspects of his personality that were likely factors behind
this decision.
Starting with the Introduction, I want to trace Satō’s life to look for the under-
lying causes for the means used in the reversion of Okinawa, beginning with the
formation of his personality in his early life. Prior to entering politics, Satō served
as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Railways. He was director of the General Rail-
way Bureau during the Occupation (a position equivalent to president of the later
Japan National Railways) and ultimately rose to be administrative vice-m inister
of transportation.
viii Foreword
I would like to closely analyze Satō’s “social development” policy and the
reversion of Okinawa using sources such as the Kusuda Minoru Files that were
made public in 2016. These are a voluminous set of documents from Satō’s Kantei
that are viewable online. In reviewing the reversion of Okinawa, I make use of
many foreign ministry and American resources as I examine the negotiations
between the US and Japan and how these were related to Wakaizumi.
To learn more about Satō’s personality, I will look at the views of Satō held by
the media and his fellow politicians such as Yoshida Shigeru and his older brother
Kishi Nobusuke. But I will also take into account those of his wife, Hiroko. The
two were betrothed at a young age, and she was intimately familiar with both Satō
and Kishi from childhood.
Tracing Satō’s footsteps means capturing the image of one of the prime minis-
ters of the LDP’s golden age and returning to the beginning of modern US- Japan
relations such as the reversion of Okinawa.
Charts and tables
Map of Japan x
Factional Alignments of Notable LDP Politicians, 1955–1972 xi
Figures
0.1 Satō Family Tree 2
2.1 The Lineages of the Postwar Conservative Political Parties 53
4.1 The Lineage of the LDP’s Factions 134
6.1 Support for the Albanian Resolution 214
Tables
1.1 Ministry of Railways Personnel 35
2.1 Postal Administration Under Satō as Minister 65
2.2 Satō and Kishi’s Vote Totals in Yamaguchi Second District 73
3.1 LDP Factional Strength in the House of Representatives, 1960 102
4.1 Liberal Democratic Party Leadership (1964–1972) 122
4.2 The One- Day Cabinets 142
5.1 General Account Budget Annual Expenditures 152
5.2 Major Reformist Local Governments 154
5.3 Satō’s 1967 Tour of Asia 157
5.4 The Course of US- Japanese Negotiations on the Return of
Okinawa and Textiles 160
5.5 Timeline of Passage of the Act on Measures for Universities 168
5.6 Chronology of the Reversion of Okinawa 177
5.7 Text of the Secret Agreed Minute 184
6.1 Timeline of US-J apan Negotiations Over Textiles 211
B1.1 List of Japanese Prime Ministers 247
B1.2 Timeline of Satō Eisaku’s Life 247