This is second of a three-part series about the life and diplomatic theories of Hitoshi Ashida, who was president and editor-in-chief of The Japan Times from 1933 to 1939, and went on to become prime minister in 1948.
Hitoshi Ashida was born in 1887 in present-day Fukuchimaya, Kyoto Prefecture, to a wealthy farming family. His father, Shikanosuke, was a Diet member, and the son was often regarded as a super-elite diplomat.