Eisaku Satō
Eisaku Satō (佐藤 栄作, Satō Eisaku, 27 March 1901 – 3 June 1975) was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1964 to 1972. He is the third longest-serving prime minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as prime minister.
Eisaku Satō | |||||
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佐藤 栄作 | |||||
Official portrait, 1964 | |||||
| Prime Minister of Japan | |||||
| In office 9 November 1964 – 7 July 1972 | |||||
| Monarch | Hirohito | ||||
| Preceded by | Hayato Ikeda | ||||
| Succeeded by | Kakuei Tanaka | ||||
| Member of the House of Representatives | |||||
| In office 23 January 1949 – 3 June 1975 | |||||
| Constituency | Yamaguchi 2nd | ||||
| Personal details | |||||
| Born | 27 March 1901 Tabuse, Yamaguchi, Empire of Japan | ||||
| Died | 3 June 1975 (aged 74) Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party (1955–1975) | ||||
| Other political affiliations | Liberal Party (1949–1955) | ||||
| Spouse |
Hiroko Satō (m. 1926) | ||||
| Children | 2, including Shinji | ||||
| Relatives | Nobusuke Kishi (brother) Shinzo Abe (grandnephew) Nobuo Kishi (grandnephew) | ||||
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University | ||||
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize (1974) | ||||
| Signature | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Shinjitai | 佐藤栄作 | ||||
| Kyūjitai | 佐藤榮作 | ||||
| Kana | さとう えいさく | ||||
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Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a member of the Liberal Party. Gradually rising through the ranks of Japanese politics, he held a series of cabinet positions. In 1964 he succeeded Hayato Ikeda as prime minister, becoming the first prime minister to have been born in the 20th century.
As prime minister, Satō presided over a period of rapid economic growth. He arranged for the formal return of Okinawa (Ryukyu Islands; occupied by the United States since the end of the Second World War) to Japanese control. Satō brought Japan into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize as a co-recipient in 1974.