Governor-General of Chōsen
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
Governor-General of Chōsen | |
---|---|
Status | Abolished |
Residence | Official residence of the Governor-General of Chōsen |
Seat | Government-General Building, Keijō |
Appointer | Emperor of Japan |
Precursor | Resident-General of Korea |
Formation | 1 October 1910 |
First holder | Terauchi Masatake |
Final holder | Nobuyuki Abe |
Abolished | 12 September 1945 |
Superseded by | Soviet Civil Administration United States Army Military Government in Korea |
The Governor-General of Chōsen (Japanese:
The governor-general of Chōsen was established shortly after the Korean Empire was formally annexed by the Empire of Japan in the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 to replace the title of Resident-General. The governor-general of Chōsen was appointed from Tokyo and accountable to the emperor of Japan. The governor-general of Chōsen was responsible for the administrate ministry of the Chōsen regionin, including infrastructure, culture, justice, censorship, and the suppression of the Korean independence movement.[1][2]
The governor-general of Chōsen was seated in the General Government Building in Keijō after its completion in 1926.[3] Pending its completion, the Governor-General resided at Namsan.[4]
History
[edit]After the annexation of Korea to Japan in 1910, the office of resident-general was replaced by that of governor-general. However, the position was unique in among Japan's external possessions, as the governor-general had sweeping plenipotentiary powers, and the position also entailed judicial oversight and some legislative powers. As of 1944, the governor-general did not command the Imperial Japanese Army or Imperial Japanese Navy units stationed in Chōsen.[5] Given the powers and levels of responsibility, only ranking full generals in the Imperial Japanese Army were selected for the post, with the sole exception of Viscount Saitō, a retired admiral.
The governor-general of Chōsen had a police organisation, which may have been partly involved in having Korean women working as comfort women.[6][better source needed]
After the Japanese defeat in World War II, the Korean Peninsula was administered by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea. The governor-general building was demolished during administration of South Korean president Kim Yong-Sam on August 15, 1995.
Prime Ministers of Japan
[edit]Four individuals who held the position of the governor-general of Chōsen also held the office of the prime minister of Japan. Three, Terauchi Masatake, Saitō Makoto, and Koiso Kuniaki, were governors-general before becoming prime ministers. One, Abe Nobuyuki, was prime minister before his appointment as governor-general. Ugaki Kazushige was named prime minister-designate, but he could not take office because he was unable to form a cabinet.
In addition, Resident-General Itō Hirobumi served four terms as prime minister prior to his appointment to Korea.
Governors-general
[edit]After the annexation of Korea to Japan in 1910, the office of resident general was replaced by that of governor-general.
- General Count Terauchi Masatake
寺内 正毅 (1910–1916) - Gensui Count Hasegawa Yoshimichi
長谷川 好道 (1916–1919) - Admiral Viscount Saitō Makoto
斎藤 実 (1919–1927) - General Ugaki Kazushige
宇垣 一成 (1927) - General Yamanashi Hanzō
山梨 半 造 (1927–1929) - Viscount Saitō Makoto
斎藤 実 (second time 1929–1931) - General Kazushige Ugaki
宇垣 一成 (second time 1931–1936) - General Minami Jirō
南 次郎 (1936–1942) - General (ret'd) Koiso Kuniaki
小磯 國昭 (1942–1944) - General (ret'd) Abe Nobuyuki
阿部 信行 (1944–1945)
See also
[edit]- Governor-General of Taiwan
- Rulers of Korea
- Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea
- Japanese militarism
- Japanese nationalism
References
[edit]- Kim, Djun (2005). The History of Korea. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33296-7.
- ^ Governor-General of Korea.
統計 年報 [Statistics Annual Report] - ^
黄 文雄 Kō Bun'yū歪 められた朝鮮 総督 府 [Distorted facts about Governor-General of Korea](in Japanese).光文社 Kobunsya - ^ The building was demolished during the administration of South Korean president Kim Yong-sam on August 15, 1995.
- ^ 잡지 일본지 조선(
日本 誌 朝鮮 ) 1911 Magazine Japanese Chosun (Illustration) - ^ Grajdanzev, Andrew (2007). "The Government of Korea". Modern Korea (2nd ed.). Orchard Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-4067-3825-4.
- ^
西岡 力 Tsutomu Nishioka政府 は名誉 回復 の戦 いを止 めてはならぬ [The Japanese government must not stop demanding the restoration of honour] in Seiron March 2016 (in Japanese).産経新聞 社 [Sankei Shimbun Sya]. p. 83