Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Politician
Japanese politician. As prime minister, he normalized diplomatic relations between Japan and China, and advocated national development after high economic growth in his ``Restructuring of the Japanese Archipelago.'' He is a person who thinks about postwar Japanese politics.
View in catalogTokyo
Work
Plan for Remodeling the Japanese Archipelago
1972
Book
Normalization of Japan-China relations
1972
Political event · Leader
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
Born in Niigata Prefecture, he worked in business and construction before becoming a politician. In postwar Japan, local interests, public works projects, and factional politics were tied to economic growth.
He became prime minister in 1972, and in the same year he promoted the normalization of diplomatic relations with China. He envisioned the development of transportation networks and industrial locations in rural areas, and made Japan's postwar growth and regional disparities a political issue.
While Kakuei Tanaka gained support for his people's speaking skills and practical skills, he was also criticized as a symbol of plutocratic politics. The Lockheed incident brought into question the relationship between postwar politics and corporations and funds.
If you study Kakuei Tanaka, you will understand that postwar Japanese politics was driven by diplomatic shifts, public projects, local interests, factions, and financial mechanisms. He is a person who thinks about Japan after high economic growth. We can also see the light and shadow of growth politics.
