Shigeru Yoshida

Shigeru Yoshida (吉田 茂 Yoshida Shigeru, September 22, 1878–October 20, 1967) was the Prime Minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954.

Born in Tokyo, he was Japan's ambassador to Italy and the United Kingdom during the 1930s. After several months' imprisonment in 1945, he became one of Japan's key postwar leaders, becoming the 45th prime minister on May 22,1946. After being replaced with Tetsu Katayama on May 24, 1947, he returned to the post as the 48th prime minister on October 15, 1948. He was retained in three succeeding elections (49th: February 16, 1949; 50th: October 30,1952; and 51st: May 21, 1953), and was finally ousted on December 10,1954, when he was replaced by Ichiro Hatoyama. He retired from the Diet of Japan in 1955.

Yoshida's policy centered around the "Yoshida Doctrine", which emphasized Japan's economic recovery at the expense of independence in foreign affairs. Under Yoshida's rule, Japan began to rebuild its lost industrial infrastructure, relying on the United States for most of its defense. Much of this idea still governs Japan's politics and economy today.