Tokonami Takejiro
- Born: Keiô 2/12/1 (1867, Jan 6)
- Died: 1935/9/8
- Japanese: 床次竹二郎 (Tokonami Takejirou)
Tokonami Takejirô was a notable government official of the Meiji period, originally from Satsuma han.
Tokonami was born the son of a samurai retainer of Satsuma han. He attended the Tokyo Imperial University Law School, and graduated in 1890, serving briefly in the Ministry of Finance and as Head of the Local Affairs Bureau of the Home Ministry, and then Vice Home Minister, before becoming head of the Railways Department.
He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1914, and then became Minister of Home Affairs for a time. He helped found the Seiyûhon-tô political party, becoming its head in 1924, before switching to the Rikken Minsei-tô (Constitutional Democratic Party), and then back to his original party, the Rikken Seiyûkai (Friends of Constitutional Government Party) in 1929.
In 1931, Prime Minister Inukai appointed Tokonami head of the Railways Ministry. Following Inukai's assassination, Tokonami attempted to become head of the Rikken Seiyûkai, but lost out to Suzuki Kisaburô. He was then appointed Minister of Communications in 1934, against the party's wishes, and was expelled from the party. He died the following year.
A bronze bust of Tokonami stands today outside Kagoshima Central Train Station (Kagoshima chûô eki').
References
- "Tokonami, Takejiro," National Diet Library Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures.
