was a Japanese legal expert and President of the

Permanent Court of International Justice The Permanent Court of International Justice, often called the World Court, existed from 1922 to 1946. It was an international court attached to the League of Nations. Created in 1920 (although the idea of an international court was several cent ...

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from 1931 until 1934.

Early life

Adachi was born in what is now the town of

Yamanobe, Yamagata is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,174 in 4839 households, and a population density of 230 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Yamanobe is located in the southeas ...

, Japan. In 1892, he graduated from the law school of Tokyo University, and began his legal and diplomatic career.

Legal and diplomatic work

In 1892–1893, he lectured on law at Tokyo University. In 1893, he was appointed

Chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

of the Japanese Legation in Rome, and served in that position until 1896. From 1899 to 1902, he served as Chargé d'affaires of the Japanese Legation in Paris. In 1903–1904, he served as Counsellor to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also taught international law and diplomatic history at Tokyo University. In 1904–1905, he sat as judge at the Sasebo and Yokosuka

Prize Court A prize court is a court (or even a single individual, such as an ambassador or consul) authorized to consider whether prizes have been lawfully captured, typically whether a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the te ...

s. In 1905, he was a member of the Japanese delegation that negotiated in Portsmouth the peace treaty ending the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. In 1907–1910, he served again as Chargé d'affaires at the Japanese Legation in Paris, and in 1912–1915 served as Japanese Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico. In 1915–1916, he took part in a Japanese Red Cross mission in Russia, then suffering from ravages of the First World War. In 1917, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to Belgium, and in that capacity participated in the Japanese delegation to the

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

in 1919. During that conference, he also served as member of the

Commission of Responsibilities In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

, which recommended prosecuting German leaders accused of war crimes. From 1920 to 1927, he served as Ambassador to Belgium, and in 1927–1930 he was Ambassador to France. On September 25, 1930, he was elected to serve as judge at the Permanent Court of International Justice. On January 16, 1931, he was elected President of the same court, a position he held until January 1, 1934, shortly prior to his death. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1932. He died

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, Netherlands, on December 28, 1934. During his tenure as President of the court, most of Adachi's rulings were in line with the majority opinions of the court, except for his ruling in September 1931 regarding the proposed Customs Union between Germany and Austria. As the majority opinion viewed that step as contravening the obligations of the German and Austrian governments not to compromise their own independence, Adachi claimed in his separate opinion that: :"Restrictions on its liberty of action which a State may agree to do not affect its independence, provided that the State does not thereby deprive itself of its organic powers". His argument was that the proposed economic union did not compromise Austria's independence, just as membership in the League of Nations did not constitute a violation of that independence despite the practical restrictions it imposed on each one of its member states.Permanent Court of International Justice, ''Customs Regime between Germany and Austria'' (Leiden, 1931) pp. 74-87: Dissenting Opinion of Adachi, Kellogg, Baron Rolin-Jaeqemyns, Sir Cecil Hurst, Schücking, Jonkheer van Eysinga and Wang

Works (partial list)

* ''Le Japon et les Traités Internationaux'' (1927)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adachi, Mineichiro Japanese judges Permanent Court of International Justice judges 1869 births 1934 deaths People from Yamagata Prefecture Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Ambassadors of Japan to Mexico Ambassadors of Japan to France Ambassadors of Japan to Belgium University of Tokyo alumni Members of the Institut de Droit International Japanese judges of international courts and tribunals 20th-century Japanese diplomats