Prince was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

politician, cabinet minister, and Japanese Inspector-General of Korea. His wife was the daughter of

Katō Hiroyuki Baron was an academic and politician of the Meiji period Japan. Biography Katō was born on August 5, 1836 to a ''samurai'' family in Izushi domain, Tajima Province (present day Hyōgo Prefecture), and studied military science under Sakuma Sh ...

Biography

Katsu Isaburō was born in

Nagato Province , often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces. History Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimono ...

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was base ...

(present-day

Yamaguchi prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

, as the second son of samurai Katsu Kanesuke and Yamagata Toshiko, the elder sister of

Yamagata Aritomo ''Gensui (Imperial Japanese Army), Gensui'' Prince , also known as Prince Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a senior-ranking Japanese people, Japanese military commander, twice-elected Prime Minister of Japan, and a leading member of the ''genrō'', an � ...

. As the latter had no children, he was adopted by Yamagata Aritomo in 1861 to carry on the family name. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, accompanied the

Iwakura Mission The Iwakura Mission or Iwakura Embassy (, ''Iwakura Shisetsudan'') was a Japanese diplomatic voyage to the United States and Europe conducted between 1871 and 1873 by leading statesmen and scholars of the Meiji period. It was not the only such m ...

to the United States and Europe, remaining in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for studies. On his return to Japan, he worked as a translator at the Foreign Ministry, and subsequently served on the Cabinet Legislation Bureau. He then entered the

Home Ministry An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

as served as Secretary to the governor of

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

before being appointed governor of

Tokushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

, followed by

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...

. He was later promoted to Director of the Local Affairs Bureau within the Home Ministry, and rose to the post of Vice Minister. In 1906, Yamagata entered the 1st Saionji administration as Minister of Communications. His chief achievement was to bring about the collapse of the Saionji administration by creating a budgetary deadlock over railroad funding at the behest of Yamagata Aritomo. In July 1908, Yamagata was appointed to a seat in the House of Peers in the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

. In 1910, following the resignation of

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samur ...

Resident-General of Korea The Japanese resident-general of Korea ( ja, 韓国統監, Kankokutōkan; ko, 일본의 대 한국통감, Ilbon-ui dae hangugtong-gam) was the leader of Korea under Japanese rule from 1905 to 1910. This post was highly hated among native Korea ...

, Yamagata accompanied the new Resident

Sone Arasuke Viscount was a Japanese politician, diplomat, cabinet minister, and second Japanese Resident-General of Korea. Biography Sone was born in Nagato Province in Chōshū Domain (present-day Yamaguchi prefecture, his adopted father was a ''samurai ...

to Korea as Deputy Resident-General. Following the formal annexation of Korea to the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

, Yamagata remained for the next nine years as Inspector-General of Korea, (a position equivalent to that of Deputy Governor-General), under the tenure of

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Terauchi Masatake Gensui Count Terauchi Masatake ( ja, 寺内正毅), GCB (5 February 1852 – 3 November 1919), was a Japanese military officer, proconsul and politician. He was a '' Gensui'' (or Marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army and the Prime Minister o ...

and

Hasegawa Yoshimichi Count was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Governor General of Korea from 1916 to 1919. His Japanese decorations included Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) and Order of the Chrysanthemum. Biography Hasegawa was born ...

. Although considered to be the leading candidate to replace Hasegawa, Yamagata was removed from office during the government reorganization following the

March 1 Movement The March 1st Movement, also known as the Sam-il (3-1) Movement (Hangul: 삼일 운동; Hanja: 三一運動), was a protest movement by Korean people and students calling for independence from Japan in 1919, and protesting forced assimilation ...

in 1919. page 125 He subsequently served as Governor-General of Kwantung Leased Territory from May 1920 to September 1922. In 1922, after the death of his foster-father Yamagata Aritomo, he inherited the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

'' title of ''kōshaku'' (

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

). Afterwards, he served on the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

until his death in 1927.

Honours

''From the Japanese Wikipedia article''

Decorations

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

, Third Class (27 December 1902; Fourth Class: 28 December 1898; Fifth Class: 26 June 1897; Sixth Class: 21 June 1895) *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

(21 July 1909; Second Class: 1 April 1906) *Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers (24 September 1927; posthumous)

References

External links

National Diet Library Bio and Photo
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamagata, Isaburo Government ministers of Japan 1858 births 1927 deaths Governors of Aichi Prefecture Governors of Tokushima Prefecture Japanese colonial governors and administrators Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Kazoku People of Meiji-period Japan People of the Kwantung Leased Territory People from Yamaguchi Prefecture People from Chōshū domain Recipients of the Order of the Plum Blossom