Matsutarō Shōriki

was a Japanese media proprietor and politician. He was the owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun, founder of the Yomiuri Giants and the Nippon Television Network Corporation.

After a career as a police officer, Shoriki acquired the bankrupt Yomiuri Shimbun in 1924. Under his management it would become one of the major newspapers in Japan. Shoriki also popularised professional baseball in Japan during this time and founded the Yomiuri Giants. After the war Shoriki was arrested as a war criminal, but the charges were dropped in 1947. He founded Japan's first commercial television station, Nippon Television Network Corporation in 1952.

Shoriki also became a prominent supporter of nuclear power in Japan. In 1955 he was elected to the House of Representatives. Shoriki became the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission under Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission under Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.

For his varied activities he received several appellations, such as the "father of Japanese professional baseball," the "father of Japanese private broadcasting" and the “father of Japanese nuclear power”.

Early life and career Shōriki was born in Daimon, Toyama. He graduated from Tokyo Imperial University Law School, where he also was a competitive judoka in the Nanatei league. He was one of the most successful judo masters, receiving the extremely rare rank of 10th Dan after his death.

After graduating, Shoriki joined the Home Ministry in 1913 and worked at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, rising high in the ranks. As chief secretary of the Metropolitan Police Department, he was involved in the large-scale crackdown on the Japanese Communist Party in June 1923.

After the Toranomon Incident, an assassination attempt on the Prince Regent Hirohito on 27 December 1923, Shoriki resigned assuming responsibility together with Superintendent General of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Kurahei Yuasa. Although an amnesty cleared him of his disciplinary action, he did not return to public service. He also used his position as owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun to promote nuclear power in the popular media. In 1957, he joined the first Kishi cabinet as chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, and around the same time, the Japanese government entered into a contract to purchase 20 nuclear reactors from the United States of America. Shōriki is thus also now known as "the father of nuclear power."

Death Shōriki died on 9 October 1969, in Atami, Shizuoka.

Tributes In , Shōriki was the first inductee into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. The Matsutaro Shoriki Award is given annually to the person who contributes the most to Japanese baseball.

The position of Chair of the Department of Asia, Oceania, and Africa at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is also named after Shōriki.