Kantaro Suzuki
|
|
SuzukiKantaro.jpg
Admiral Kantaro Suzuki (鈴木 貫太郎 Suzuki Kantarō, December 24, 1867 - April 17, 1948) was the 42nd Prime Minister of Japan from April 7, 1945 to August 17, 1945. He was Vice Minister of the Navy during World War I, then fleet commander, then Chief of Naval General Staff from 1925 to 1929. He narrowly escaped assassination in the February 26 Incident. He retired from the navy in 1937.
As Vice Chairman (later Chairman) of Councilors of Court during World War II, Suzuki was opposed to Japan's war with the United States. As prime minister, he contributed to the final peace negotiations with the Allies, and helped to persuade Hirohito to accept the surrender terms of the Potsdam Declaration. Suzuki died of natural causes after the war.
As a young naval officer, he was a commander of a destroyer flotilla during the Russo-Japanese War and participated in the pivotal naval Battle of Tsushima.
He was born in Osaka Prefecture.
| Preceded by: Kuniaki Koiso | Prime Minister of Japan 1945 | Succeeded by: Naruhiko Higashikuni |