Tokugawa Iesato Archives

Tokugawa & Komatsu, Forgotten Heroes / Until his untimely passing, Prince Iyesato Tokugawa held back WWII in the Pacific – After WWII, his protégé, Takashi Komatsu, whom he had mentored, guided the US and Japan to again become friends and allies.

November 12, 2024 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940) Takashi Komatsu (1887-1965)

Prince Tokugawa was the Heir to the last Shogun, a dynasty that had ruled Japan for 260 years. He served as President of Japan’s Upper House of Congress, was President of the Japanese Medical Association, and held many other leadership positions, shaping international and domestic policies of Japan. Based on his humanitarian accomplishments, some US newspapers called him The Prince of Peace. It was only after his passing in 1940, that Japan was pressured by militants to enter WWII against the Allies. Continue Reading...

As President of the Japanese Red Cross, Prince Tokugawa took a leading role in the creation of Safe Zones that helped save the lives of tens of thousands of Jewish European refugees fleeing the Holocaust and over one-half million Chinese civilians during the years leading up to, and during, World War Two.

October 30, 2019 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940 – aka Prince Tokugawa Iesato) devoted his life to promoting international goodwill. Regrettably, he saw the clouds of war growing in Europe, as well as the militants in his own country pushing Japan towards conflict with China. He resisted these aggressions, but in the meanwhile, he wished to protect as many innocent lives as he could. As president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, Prince Tokugawa presided over the 1934 International Red Cross Conference in Tokyo (aka XVth International Conference of the Red Cross), where he urged the delegates to “Serve for Humanity.” It was at this gathering, where there was the first known example in history for the international creation of demilitarized Safe Zones, where civilians could find shelter, as outside warring armies fought one another. Continue Reading...

Dec. 23, 1929 – J. Edgar Hoover oversees the protection detail for the visiting Japanese Naval Delegation in Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of State Stimson and the Japanese Ambassador Debuchi greet the visitors and escort them to the White House to meet with President Hoover

July 8, 2019 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

Dec. 23, 1929 – A rare photo of J. Edgar Hoover as he oversees the protection detail for the visiting Japanese Naval Delegation in Washington, D.C. The Japanese delegation were were on their way to attend negotiations in Europe for the ratification of the 1930 London Naval Treaty (officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament). The delegation was greeted at the Washington Union (Train) Station by U.S. Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson and the Japanese Ambassador Katsuji Debuchi; the delegation then visited the White House to meet with President Herbert Hoover.