Shigeru Yoshida

Yoshida's achievements are monumental in Japanese history. He served as prime minister five times, an unmatched number of separate terms. His negotiation of the Treaty of San Francisco in 1951 restored Japan's sovereignty and ended the occupation, a feat that shaped the nation's postwar trajectory. His Yoshida Doctrine became the guiding framework for Japanese foreign and economic policy, and his protégés and grandson went on to lead the country. These accomplishments place him among the most influential statesmen of the 20th century.