Kōki Hirota

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Kōki Hirota (廣田 弘毅, Hirota Kōki; 14 February 1878 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1936 to 1937. He was executed for war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War at the Tokyo Trials. Born in Fukuoka, Hirota attended the Tokyo Imperial University and graduated with a law degree. Afterwards he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became a career diplomat, serving as minister to the Netherlands and ambassador to the Soviet Union, among other posts. In 1933, Hirota became foreign minister in the cabinet of Saitō Makoto, and retained the position when Keisuke Okada was appointed prime minister. In 1936, following the February 26 incident, Hirota succeeded Okada as prime minister. His premiership saw the Japanese military's growing control over the civilian government, as well as the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact. He was forced to resign under Army pressure less than a year later and was succeeded by...

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