FOREIGN OFFICE FILES FOR JAPAN AND THE FAR EAST

Series Two: British Foreign Office Files for Post-War Japan, 1952-1980

(Public Record Office Classes FO 371 and FCO 21)

Part 8: Complete Files for 1972-1974

(PRO Class FCO 21/959-960, 1026-1054, 1082-1085, 1144-1172, 1212-1217 and 1275-1306)

Notes on Key Personalities

Takeo Miki (1904-1988)

Miki was elected to the Diet in 1937 and remained there until at least 1984, he held a number of posts during his career taking over from Etsusaburo Shiina as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan from1966-1968, when he was succeeded by Kiichi Aichi. He took over from Tanaka as Prime Minister in December 1974. Miki attempted to reform the LDP and made a large number of enemies within the party. Despite his personal popularity with the public the Lockheed scandal reflected badly on the party. In the 1976 election the party lost its overall majority to the Diet and so had to make deals with minor parties to remain in power. Embarrassed by the result Miki resigned and was succeeded by Takeo Fukuda in December 1976.

Takeo Fukuda (1905-1995)

Fukuda became Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1964. Three years later Sato moved him to the post of Finance Minister. His chief rival, Kakuei Tanaka, took back the role of Secretary-General before taking over as head of the MITI. The two rivals fought out the contest to succeed Sato in 1971. Fukuda was defeated and held the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan during 1971-1972. He had to wait until the Liberal Democratic Party’s poor showing in the 1976 election before he could claim the leadership of the party. He served as Prime Minister of Japan from 24 December 1976 to 7 December 1978. The Liberal Democratic Party remained in office, but relied on the support of minor parties to maintain a parliamentary majority. Toward the end of 1978 Fukuda was beaten by Masayoshi Ohira for the presidency of the LDP, and resigned as Prime Minister.

Yoshio Kodama (1911-1984)

Kodama was a prominent figure in the rise of organised crime in Japan. The most famous ‘kuromaku’, or behind-the-scenes power broker, of the 20th century he was active in Japan’s political arena and criminal underworld from the 1950s to the early 1970s.

In his early life Kodama lived in Japanese occupied Korea where he formed an ultranationalist group intent on assassinating various Japanese politicians. He was caught and jailed for three and a half years. On his release Kodama was contracted by the Japanese government to move supplies for the Japanese war effort out of continental Asia to Japan. Kodama became involved in the drug trade, moving opiates to Japan along with supplies that he was paid by the government to smuggle. He formed a vast network of allies and a fortune of more than $175 making him one of the wealthiest men in Asia at that time.

At the end of World War II Kodama was arrested by the United States as a Class A war criminal and was held in Sugamo Prison. Later the US intelligence community secured his release in exchange for his aid to fight Communism in Asia, rooting out Communist sympathisers and the socialist presence in Japan. During this period Kodama used his underworld connections to help unite the various gangs, with the short-lived Kanto-kai being the most prominent example of these efforts.

In the post-war era Kodama was involved in a number of scandals, many of which involved United States businesses and the CIA. Most notable of these was the Lockheed scandal which effectively marked the end of his career.

Kakuei Tanaka (1918-1993)

Tanaka became a member of the Liberal Democrat Party in 1955. He was given his first cabinet post as Minister of Post and Telecommunications in the Nobusuke Kishi government in 1957. He already had considerable influence in the Liberal Democratic Party despite his lack of seniority. In part this was due to his friendship with Eisaku Sato and the fact that his stepdaughter had married Hayato Ikeda’s nephew. This brought Tanaka in close touch with the two key heads of the party.

During Ikeda’s premiership, Tanaka became chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council, and eventually Minister of Finance. When Sato became Prime Minister, Tanaka seemed to be in pole position to become the new Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party. However, the emergence of the Black Mist Scandal, in which Tanaka was accused of shady land deals in Tokyo, ended his chances. The key job went to Takeo Fukuda instead.

Fukuda and Tanaka soon became the two battling heir apparents of Sato’s faction. Their rivalry was dubbed by the Japanese press as the “Kaku-Fuku War”. Despite the scandal, Tanaka made a record showing in the 1967 general election, and Sato appointed him as Secretary General, moving Fukuda to the post of Finance Minister. In 1971, Sato gave Tanaka another important stepping stone in his career: the role of Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

As head of MITI, Tanaka gained further public support by standing up to the US negotiators who wanted Japan to impose export caps on several products. He made many strong contacts within the American diplomatic corps and played a leading role in discussions over the repatriation of Okinawa.

He became Prime Minister in July 1972 with the highest popularity rating of any new Japanese premier in history. He served in this position until December 1974 and continued to be the most influential member of the ruling LDP until the mid-1980s, when he fell from power after a long series of scandals relating to various business practices, his romantic relationship of several years with Aki Sato, and the Lockheed bribes.

In October 1974 the magazine, Bungei Shunju, published a critical article of Tanaka’s business practices which resulted in his LDP rivals opening a public enquiry in the Diet. It was revealed that Tanaka had purchased a geisha and used her name for a number of shady land deals in Tokyo during the mid-sixties. The Diet called Aki Sato, treasurer of Etsuzankai, as the first witness but rather than let her take the stand Tanaka announced his resignation on 26 November, 1974, becoming once again a rank-and-file Diet member.

On 6 February 1976 the vice chairman of the Lockheed Corporation informed a United States Senate subcommittee that Tanaka had accepted $1.8 million in bribes during his term as prime minister, in order to influence Japanese airlines, including the Japanese All Nippon Airways, to purchase the L-1011 aircraft. The scandal involved the Japanese Marubeni Corporation and several high ranking members of Japanese political, business and underworld figures. Within Lockheed, board chairman, Daniel Haughton, and vice chairman and president, Carl Kotchian, resigned from their posts on 13 February. Tanaka was arrested on 27 July 1976 and at the Lockheed trial in October 1983 was found guilty. Tanaka finally lost his power in 1985 caused by a split in the Tanaka faction led by Noboru Takeshita, future prime minister, and further aggravated by ill-health.

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