Hirota, Koki, 1878-1948, Japanese statesman. He graduated from the law school of Tokyo Univ. A career diplomat, he served as ambassador to Russia (1930-32) and as foreign minister (1933-36). He became prime minister in Mar., 1936, and followed army dictates. His regime saw increased military spending, government interference in the economy, growth of aggression in China, and the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact. He resigned under army pressure in Feb., 1937. Later he was (1937-38) foreign minister and president of the cabinet planning board under Fumimaro Konoye. In 1945 he negotiated to keep the USSR from declaring war on Japan. After the war he was arrested as a war criminal, and in 1948 he was convicted and hanged.

Hirota is a Japanese surname. There is a number of variant spellings, including 廣田, 広田, 弘田 and 弘太.

People with the name include:

• Koki Hirota (1878 – 1948), 32nd Prime Minister of Japan
• Mieko Hirota, singer

Place names:

• Hirota, former village located in Iyo District, Ehime, Japan

Others:

• Hirota Shrine
• the Hirota-gumi, a former Yakuza group
• the Hirota Equation in mathematics