Naotake Satō

was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as President of the House of Councillors from 1949 to 1953.

He was a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Belgium and France in the 1930s. He briefly served as foreign minister under Prime Minister Senjuro Hayashi in 1937. He then served as ambassador to Italy and later to the Soviet Union, holding the latter position during most of the Second World War. After the war he was elected to the House of Councillors and served as its president.

Early life and education Naotake Satō was born on 30 October 1882, in Osaka. He graduated from the in 1904, attended the consul course of the same institute, and finished studying there in 1905. That same year he passed the Foreign Service exam and started to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Career After serving as Mukden Consul General and executive secretary of the London Naval Treaty, he served as Imperial Japan's Ambassador to Belgium in 1930 and to France in 1933. He became Minister of Foreign Affairs (Senjūrō Hayashi Cabinet) in March 1937, and resigned in June 1937, then was assigned as adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to Italy in 1940.

He served from 1942 as the last Imperial Japanese Ambassador to the Soviet Union before the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, upon the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shigenori Tōgō. As Minister, he worked hard to avert war at the Imperial Diet. One of his missions as Japan's Ambassador to the USSR was to seek peace with the Allies through the assistance of the Soviets due to Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact.

However, Satō judged and reported to Tokyo that it was unlikely that the Soviets would assist Japan, because it was highly likely that Japan would lose the war, and urged an end to the war as early as possible. On 8 August 1945, he was invited to the Kremlin by the Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, and received the Soviet declaration of war against Imperial Japan.

After the war, he was elected to the House of Councillors of the National Diet of Japan in 1947, and served as a President of the House of Councillors from 1949 to 1953.

He died on 18 December 1971, in Tokyo.