Hayato Ikeda

was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double Japan's GDP in 10 years, and for presiding over the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Ikeda studied law at Kyoto Imperial University and entered the Ministry of Finance in 1925, working there for the next two decades. After the war, he was first elected to the National Diet in 1947 and served as finance minister from 1949 to 1952 under Shigeru Yoshida, being responsible implementing an economic stabilization program. Ikeda briefly headed the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1952, but resigned after a no-confidence motion. He returned as finance minister under Tanzan Ishibashi from 1956 to 1957, and as international trade and industry minster from 1959 to 1960.

Ikeda succeeded Nobusuke Kishi as president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and prime minister in 1960, following Kishi's resignation amid the massive Anpo protests against the US-Japan Security Treaty. Seeking to redirect the nation's energies away from social conflict and in the direction of economic growth, Ikeda announced his Income Doubling Plan and helped Japan to double its GDP in a period of just seven years. During his tenure, Ikeda worked to repair the rift in U.S.–Japan relations and to ease the domestic political divisions which had been exacerbated by the recent protests, played an important role in settling the Miike Struggle, and oversaw the successful 1964 Olympic Games before resigning due to ill health. Provided by Wikipedia