Background
Ashida was born in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto and studied French civil law at Tokyo Imperial University.
芦田 均
Diplomat politician Prime Minister of Japan
Ashida was born in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto and studied French civil law at Tokyo Imperial University.
University of Tokyo.
He was a prominent figure in the immediate postwar political landscape, but was forced to resign his leadership responsibilities after a corruption scandal (Shōwa Denkō Jiken) targeting two of his cabinet ministers. After graduation, he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for twenty years. He sided with Ichirō Hatoyama"s "orthodox" wing following the Seiyukai"s split in 1939.
He also chaired the Committee on the Bill for Revision of the Imperial Constitution, and served as the chairman of the Kenpō Fukyū Kai, a society created to promote the revised Constitution of Japan, from 1946-1948.During his term, he made a key amendment to Article Nine of the planned Japanese Constitution, which enabled the creation of the Japanese Self-Defense Force.
His tenure ended just seven months after it began. Two of his cabinet ministers were accused of corruption in the Showa Electric scandal, which forced the cabinet to resign.
Ten years later, in 1958, Ashida was cleared of all charges in relation to the incident. He died a year later at the age of seventy-one.
In 1932, Ashida ran his first successful campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives as a member of the Seiyukai Party. Ashida was elected president of the new party, and became Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1947 under Socialist prime minister Tetsu Katayama. Ashida became prime minister in 1948, leading a coalition government of Democratic and Socialist members.