Difference between revisions of "Ito Hirobumi" - New World Encyclopedia

	Itō Hirobumi
	; Prime Minister of Japan
	In office; 22 December 1885 – 30 April 1888
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	Kuroda Kiyotaka
	In office; 8 August 1892 – 31 August 1896
Preceded by	Matsukata Masayoshi
Succeeded by	Matsukata Masayoshi
	In office; 12 January 1898 – 30 June 1898
Preceded by	Matsukata Masayoshi
Succeeded by	Okuma Shigenobu
	In office; 19 October 1900 – 10 May 1901
Preceded by	Yamagata Aritomo
Succeeded by	Katsura Taro
Born	16 October 1841; Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Died	26 October 1909;
Political party	Rikken Seiyukai

Revision as of 21:30, 11 December 2006

Prince Itō Hirobumi (伊藤博文, Itō Hirobumi, 16 October 1841–26 October 1909, also called Hirofumi/Hakubun and Shunsuke in his youth) was a Japanese statesman, Resident-General of Korea, four times Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th) and genro.

Prime Minister of Japan

1st: 22 December 1885 - 30 April 1888 861 days
5th: 8 August 1892 - 31 August 1896 1485 days
7th: 12 January 1898 - 30 June 1898 170 days
10th: 19 October 1900 - 10 May 1901 204 days

Early years

Itō was born as the adopted son of Hayashi Juzo, a lower class samurai from Hagi, Chōshū domain (present day Hikari city Yamaguchi prefecture. He was a student of Yoshida Shoin at the Shoka Sonjuku, and later joined the Sonno joi movement (“ to revere the Emperor and expel the barbarians”), together with Kido Takayoshi. He was chosen to be one of the Chōshū Five who studied at University College London in 1863, and the experience in Great Britain convinced him of the necessity of Japan adopting Western ways.

In 1864, he returned to Japan with fellow student Inoue Kaoru to attempt to warn the Chōshū clan against going to war with the foreign powers (the Bombardment of Shimonoseki) over the right of passage through the Straits of Shimonoseki. At that time he met Ernest Satow for the first time, later a lifelong friend.

Political career

After the Meiji Restoration, Itō was appointed governor of Hyogo Prefecture, junior councilor for Foreign Affairs, and sent to the United States in 1870 to study western currency systems. Returning to Japan in 1871, he established Japan’s taxation system. Later in 1871, he was sent on the Iwakura Mission around the world as vice-envoy extraordinary, during which he won the confidence of Okubo Toshimichi.

In 1873, Itō was made a full councillor, Minister of Public Works, and (in 1875) chairman of the first Assembly of Prefectural Governors. After Okubo’s assassination, he took over the post of Home Minister and secured a central position in the Meiji government. In 1881 he forced Okuma Shigenobu to resign, leaving himself in unchallenged control.

In 1882, Itō went to Europe to study the constitutions of those countries, spending nearly 18 months away from Japan. While working on a constitution for Japan, he also wrote the first Imperial Household Law and established the Japanese peerage system (kazoku) in 1884.

In 1885, he negotiated the Convention of Tientsin with Li Hung-chang, normalizing Japan’s diplomatic relations with Qing Dynasty China.

As Prime Minister

Also in 1885, based on European ideas, Itō established a cabinet system of government, replacing the Dajō-kan as the decision-making state organization, and on 22 December 1885, he became the first Prime Minister of Japan.

On 30 April 1888, Itō resigned as Prime Minister, but headed the new Privy Council to maintain power behind-the-scenes. In 1889, he also became the first genro. The Meiji Constitution was promulgated in February 1889.

He remained a powerful force while Kuroda Kiyotaka and Yamagata Aritomo were Prime Ministers.

File:Ito Hirobumi and Mutsu Munemitsu.jpg

Ito (left) and Mutsu at Shimonoseki

During Itō’s second term as Prime Minister, (8 August 1892 – 31 August 1896) he supported the First Sino-Japanese War and negotiated the Treaty of Shimonoseki in March 1895 with his ailing foreign minister Mutsu Munemitsu. After the war, in the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation of 1894, he succeeded in removing some of the onerous unequal treaty clauses that had plagued Japanese foreign relations since the start of the Meiji period.

During Itō’s third term as Prime Minister (12 January 1898 – 30 June 1899), Itō encountered problems with party politics. Both the Jiyuto and the Shimpoto opposed his proposed new land taxes, and in retaliation, Ito dissolved the Diet and called for new elections. As a result, both parties merged into the Kenseito, won a majority of the seats, and forced Ito to resign. This lesson taught Ito the need for a pro-government political party, so he organized the Rikken Seiyukai in 1900.

Itō returned to office as Prime Minister for a 4th term from 19 October 1900 – 10 May 1901; this time facing political opposition from the House of Peers. Weary of political back-stabbing, he resigned in 1901, but remained as head of the Privy Council as the premiership alternated between Saionji Kimmochi and Katsura Taro.

As Resident-General of Korea

In November 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War, the Korean government signed the Eulsa Treaty, making Korea a Japanese protectorate. Itō became the first Resident-General of Korea on 21 December 1905. He urged the Korean King Gojong, to abdicate in 1907 in favor of his son King Sunjong and pushed through the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1907 giving Japan control over Korean internal affairs. He resigned on 14 June 1909.

Ito was assassinated in 1909 at Harbin train station in Manchuria by a Korean nationalist An Jung-geun.

Trivia

Itō Hirobumi was on the 1000 yen note of Japan from 1963-11-01 until a new series was issued in 1984.

Suematsu Kencho was Itō’s son-in-law, having married his second daughter, Ikuko.

Itō Hirobumi’s house is preserved as a museum near the Shoin Jinja, in Hagi city, Yamaguchi prefecture. However, the actual structure was Itō’s second home, formerly located in Shinagawa, Tokyo.

Itō Hirobumi’s womanizing was a popular theme in editorial cartoons and in parodies by contemporary comedians. Along with Matsukata Masayoshi, it is claimed that he fathered numerous illegitimate children. On the darker side, Itō was also once accused of raping the wife of Count Toda Ujikata (the daughter of Iwakura Tomomi) after a dance at the Rokumeikan. Although criminal charges were never filed and Itō was cleared of wrong-doing, it was a major scandal that almost destroyed his political career.

Ito received an honorary doctorate from Yale University.

External links

Template:Japanese prime ministers-NDL
Biographical material at the Notable Names Database.

Credits

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Preceded by: (none) or Emperor of Korea Yi Ch'ok	Japanese Resident-General in Korea 1905–1909	Succeeded by: Viscount Sone Arasuke
Preceded by: Three great nobles of the Meiji Restoration	Prime Minister of Japan 1885-1888	Succeeded by: Kuroda Kiyotaka
Preceded by: Matsukata Masayoshi	Prime Minister of Japan 1892-1896	Succeeded by: Kuroda Kiyotaka
Preceded by: Matsukata Masayoshi	Prime Minister of Japan 1898	Succeeded by: Okuma Shigenobu
Preceded by: Yamagata Aritomo	Prime Minister of Japan 1900-1901	Succeeded by: Katsura Taro