Itō Hirobumi
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- In this Japanese name, the family name is Itō.
| Prince Itō Hirobumi | |
 Prime Minister of Japan |
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| In office 22 December 1885 – 30 April 1888 |
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| Preceded by | none |
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| Succeeded by | Kuroda Kiyotaka |
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| In office 8 August 1892 – 31 August 1896 |
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| Preceded by | Matsukata Masayoshi |
| Succeeded by | Matsukata Masayoshi |
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| In office 12 January 1898 – 30 June 1898 |
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| Preceded by | Matsukata Masayoshi |
| Succeeded by | Okuma Shigenobu |
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| In office 19 October 1900 – 10 May 1901 |
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| Preceded by | Yamagata Aritomo |
| Succeeded by | Katsura Taro |
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| Born | 16 October 1841 Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | 26 October 1909 (aged 68) |
| Political party | Rikken Seiyukai |
| Spouse | Itō Umeko |
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 time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th) and genrō. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the Annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire.[1] Ironically, there is an argument that Itō's death resulted in the acceleration of the final stage of the colonization process.
Suematsu Kencho was Itō’s son-in-law, having married his second daughter, Ikuko.
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[edit] 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
[edit] Early years
Itō was born as the adopted son of Hayashi Juzo, a lower class samurai from Hagi, Chōshū domain (present-day 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. Itō 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, Itō 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.
[edit] Political career
After the Meiji Restoration, Itō was appointed governor of Hyōgo 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 that year, 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 councilor, 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 urged Okuma Shigenobu to resign, leaving himself in unchallenged control.
Itō went to Europe in 1882 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 Tianjin with Li Hongzhang, normalizing Japan's diplomatic relations with Qing Dynasty China.
[edit] As Prime Minister
Also in 1885, based on European ideas, Itō established a cabinet system system of government, replacing the Daijō-kan as the decision-making state organization, and on December 22, 1885, he became the first prime minister of Japan.
On April 30, 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, his political nemesis, were prime ministers.
During Itō’s second term as prime minister (August 8, 1892 – August 31, 1896), he supported the First Sino-Japanese War and negotiated the Treaty of Shimonoseki in March 1895 with his ailing foreign minister Mutsu Munemitsu. 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 (January 12, 1898 – June 30, 1899), he encountered problems with party politics. Both the Jiyuto and the Shimpoto opposed his proposed new land taxes, and in retaliation, Itō 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 Itō to resign. This lesson taught Itō the need for a pro-government political party, so he organized the Rikken Seiyukai in 1900. Itō's womanizing was a popular theme in editorial cartoons and in parodies by contemporary comedians, and was used by his political enemies in their campaign against him.
Itō returned to office as prime minister for a fourth term from October 19, 1900, to May 10, 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. Itō received an honorary doctorate from Yale University around this time.
[edit] 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 December 21, 1905. He urged the Korean Emperor Gojong to abdicate in 1907 in favor of his son Emperor Sunjong and pushed through the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1907, giving Japan control over Korean internal affairs. In spite of his dedication to the annexation, his political nemesis, politically influential Imperial Japanese Army led by Yamagata Aritomo, blamed him for the delay of the colonization over Korea, therefore Itō had to resign on June 14, 1909.
[edit] Assassination
Itō arrived at the Harbin train station on October 26, 1909 for a meeting with a Russian representative in Manchuria. When he arrived and proceeded to meet the Russian, An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist, fired seven shots at him. Three of those shots hit Itō in the chest and he died shortly thereafter.
[edit] Legacy
A portrait of Itō Hirobumi was on the 1,000 yen note of Japan from 1963 until a new series was issued in 1984. His former 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Dudden, Alexis (2005). Japan's Colonization of Korea: Discourse and Power. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-82482-829-1.
[edit] Further reading
- Hamada Kengi (1936). Prince Ito. Tokyo: Sanseido Co.
- Johnston, John T.M. (1917). World patriots. New York: World Patriots Co.
- Kusunoki Sei'ichirō (1991). Nihon shi omoshiro suiri: Nazo no satsujin jiken wo oe. Tokyo: Futami bunko.
- Nakamura Kaju (1910). Prince Ito, the man and the statesman, a brief history of his life. New York: Japanese-American commercial weekly and Anraku Pub. Co.
- Palmer, Frederick (1910). Marquis Ito: the great man of Japan. n.p.
[edit] External links
- Template:Prime Ministers of Japan-NDL
- Biographical material at the Notable Names Database.
- About Japan: A Teacher's Resource Ideas about how to teach about Ito Hirobumi in a K-12 classroom
[edit] See also
| Preceded by office created |
1st Prime Minister of Japan | Succeeded by Kuroda Kiyotaka |
| Preceded by Matsukata Masayoshi |
5th Prime Minister of Japan | Succeeded by Matsukata Masayoshi |
| Preceded by Matsukata Masayoshi |
7th Prime Minister of Japan | Succeeded by Okuma Shigenobu |
| Preceded by Yamagata Aritomo |
10th Prime Minister of Japan | Succeeded by Katsura Tarō |
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