Inejiro Asanuma

Inejirō Asanuma was born on the island of Miyake-jima, a remote volcanic island that is administratively part of Tokyo, on 27 December 1898. His mother died during his birth, leaving him to be raised by his father, who later died of cancer, leaving Asanuma an orphan. After completing high school, Asanuma entered Waseda University, graduating in 1923. While still in college, Asanuma joined the newly formed Farmer-Labor Party and took part in various forms of leftist activism. Among other activities, he founded the "Builders League," which studied the works of English socialists, worked for Russian famine relief, and protested against military-related research being conducted at Waseda. In 1924, Asanuma left the Farmer-Labor Party after the party became divided into three different factions and became involved in tenant organizing and the Labor-Farmer movement. In 1926, Asanuma was one of the main founders of the Japan Labour-Farmer Party, as part of his efforts to link urban labor movements with rural peasant's movements. In 1929, Asanuma began running for Tokyo City Council, representing Fukagawa ward, but was not elected until 1933. In 1936, Asanuma was elected to the National Diet of Japan for the first time as a member of the newly-formed Social Masses Party, which merged into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association in 1940. During World War II, Asanuma was aligned with the Imperial Rule Assistance Association and advocated for war in Asia. Asanuma later became a forceful advocate of socialism in post-war Japan. He was noted for his support of the newly established People's Republic of China (PRC) as well as the criticism of United States–Japanese relations, making him a polarizing figure. Asanuma and the Japan Socialist Party led a number of mass marches on the Japanese National Diet, opposing the 1960 revision of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. On 12 October 1960, Asanuma was assassinated at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo. During a televised debate, 17-year-old right-wing ultranationalist Otoya Yamaguchi charged onto the stage and fatally stabbed Asanuma with a wakizashi, a type of traditional short sword. Yamaguchi committed suicide while in custody. Asanuma's violent death was seen in graphic detail on national television by millions of Japanese, causing widespread public shock and outrage. Asanuma was buried at Tama Cemetery in Fuchū, Tokyo. He was survived by his wife Kiyoko and four children. Asanuma left a legacy of socialist activism and anti-Americanism in post-war Japan, and his assassination weakened the Japan Socialist Party. He also inspired a series of copycat crimes and made Yamaguchi an enduring hero and subsequently a martyr to some Japanese far-right groups.