Kato Takaaki

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Kato Takaaki
Image:Takaaki Kato.jpg Prime Minister of Japan
24th Prime Minister of Japan
In office 11 June 1924 – 28 January 1926
Preceded by	Kiyoura Keigo
Succeeded by	Wakatsuki Reijiro
Born	3 January 1860 Nagoya, Owari Province, Japan
Died	28 January 1926 Tokyo, Japan
Political party	Kenseikai
Occupation	Cabinet Minister

Baron Katō Takaaki (加藤 高明, Katō Takaaki ^?), (3 January 1860 - 28 January 1926) was a Japanese politician and the 24th Prime Minister of Japan from 11 June 1924 to 28 January 1926. He is also known as Kato Komei.

Contents 1 Early life 2 As Cabinet Minister & Ambassador 3 As Prime Minister 4 See also 5 External links 6 References

Early life

Kato, was the second son of a local samurai retainer of the Owari Tokugawa domain in Nagoya, Owari Province, (present day Aichi prefecture). He was born as Hattori Sokitchi, and was adopted by Kato Bunhei at the age of 13. He attended the Tokyo Foreign Language School and Tokeo Kaisei Gakko (later Tokyo University), and graduated to the top of his class from the Law Department, specializing in English common law. On graduation worked as an employee of Mitsubishi zaibatsu, and was sent to London for two years. On his return to Japan in 1885, he became an assistant manager at the Mitsubishi head office in Marunouchi, Tokyo. In 1886, he married the eldest daughter of Iwasaki Yataro, the president of Mitsubishi.

As Cabinet Minister & Ambassador

In 1887, Kato he became private secretary to Okuma Shigenobu, who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs, and worked with Okuma on the revision of the unequal treaties. Subsequently he served as director of the Banking Bureau in the Finance Ministry. From 1894 to 1899, he served as ambassador to the United Kingdom, and in 1900, during the 4th Ito administration, he became Foreign Minister; however, the Ito administration remained in office only a few months. During his period in the United Kingdom and in the Foreign Ministry, he helped lay the foundations for the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, which was concluded in 1902.

In 1902 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet from Kochi Prefecture.

Appointed again as Foreign Minister in the Saionji cabinet (1906), he resigned after a brief interval, being opposed to the nationalization of the private railways, which the cabinet approved. He then remained without office until 1908, when he again accepted the post of ambassador in London. He was decorated with the Order of St Michael and St George, and earned the reputation of being one of the strongest among the junior statesmen. He again served as Foreign Minister in the 3rd Katsura and 2nd Okuma administrations.

He was thus foreign minister at the outbreak of World War I, and in the words of Hew Strachan (The First World War, p. 72): "Of all the world's statesmen in 1914, Kato proved the most adroit at using war for the purposes of policy. Domestically he exploited it to assert the dominance of the Foreign Ministry and of the cabinet in the making of Japan's foreign policy. Internationally he took the opportunity to redefine Japan's relationship with China. In doing so he was not simply outflanking the extremists opposed to him; he was also honouring his own belief that Japan should be a great power like those of Europe."

Despite these glowing words from a certain western historian, Kato's decision that Japan should enter World War I greatly angered the genro, who had not been consulted, and who therefore felt that their power and authority were being slighted. In addition, Kato created considerable controversy in January 1915, when he issued the Twenty-One Demands to China, which sparked a major international incident and considerably opposition domestically.

As Prime Minister

In 1915, Kato was selected as a member of the House of Peers by Imperial command. He became president of the conservative Kenseikai in the following year, whose policies he greatly influenced with his opposition to the genro, support of the constitution and support for extension of popular suffrage.

Kato was appointed Prime Minister of Japan from 1924 until his death in early 1926. His cabinet was nicknamed the "Goken Sanpa Naikaku" (Cabinet based on the three pro-Constitution factions), which, despite its coalition nature, was able to enact significant legislation. In 1925, Kato had the General Election Law enacted, which extended the vote to all male citizens over the age of 25. He also ratified the Peace Preservation Law, which suppressed radical political organizations, and concluded the Soviet-Japanese Basic Convention. He also initiated universal military service. Kato strove to reduce government spending, but also suffered considerable personal criticism for his family links with Mitsubishi.

Kato died in office in 1926.

See also

• History of Japan

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