Born Sept. 7, 1899, in Itikawa; died Oct. 6, 1928, in Chilung, Taiwan. Figure in the Japanese workers’ movement.
From his youth Watanabe worked in factories in the Tokyo region and actively participated in the strike movement and organization of trade unions. In 1922 he joined the Communist Party of Japan (CPJ). He was in jail during 1923-24. From 1924 to 1926 he worked in trade-union centers. He was secretary-general of the central committee of the CPJ from 1927 to 1928. Watanabe was killed by the Japanese police.