Diplomatic and Political Career
The son of Matsudaira Katamori of Aizu, Tsuneo served as Japanese Ambassador to the United States. In 1929–1935 served as Ambassador to Britain, and in that capacity represented his country at the London Conference on Naval Armaments in 1930. During that conference, he was convinced to accept the ratio in ships which appeared humiliating to the Japanese government through the persuasion efforts of one of the US delegates, Senator James K. Reed, who in return agreed to grant the Japanese government better terms on non-combatant ships.
In 1936–1945 served as head of the Imperial Household Agency. His tenure as head of the Imperial Household Agency ended in resignation on June 4, 1945, after he took responsibility for part of the Imperial Palace burning in the American firebombing of Tokyo. During the last year of the war was among the Japanese leaders who acknowledged that the war was lost and suggested searching for early surrender. After the Second World War, for a brief period in 1946, circles related to the Palace attempted to convince the Liberal Party leadership to promote Matsudaira's candidacy as Prime Minister, but the post was eventually handed yo Shigeru Yoshida. Tsuneo served as the first head of the new House of Councillors from the entry into effect of the new Japanese constitution until his death.
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