Kenzō Matsumura was a Japanese politician in the prewar and postwar periods, serving stints in the cabinet as Minister of Health and Welfare, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and Minister of Education. Matsumura is remembered for his mastery of arcane details of Japanese agricultural policy, as well as for, in his later years, his tireless efforts to normalize Japanese diplomatic and trade relations with China, which he viewed as essential for Japan to chart a course on the international stage more independent from the United States.

Hitoshi Ashida was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan in 1948. He was a prominent figure in the immediate postwar political landscape, but was forced to resign his leadership responsibilities after a corruption scandal targeting two of his cabinet ministers.