Techō Suehiro

, born was a Japanese politician, novelist, and journalist. He was proponent of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement.

Born of samurai lineage in what is now Ehime Prefecture, he was the second son of the family. His father, Teisuke, was an accountant. He graduated from a local samurai school and became a teacher in 1869. Thereafter, he moved to Tokyo and worked for the Ministry of Finance for six years before going into the newspaper business. He was imprisoned twice for challenging the existing free press laws and was instrumental in forming the first national political party.

In 1890 he was elected in the first national election, but was later ousted because he left the Liberal Party. Suehiro was still a member of the Diet (Meiji 29) when he died in 1896 of tongue cancer and was buried in Ehime.

Major works Suehiro's major works include: Setchūbai (Plum Blossoms in the Snow, 1886) Kakan'ō (Songbirds Among Flowers, 1889)