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 ...

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 based ...

(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). ...

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

Yamagata Aritomo Prince was a Japanese politician and general who served as prime minister of Japan from 1889 to 1891, and from 1898 to 1900. He was also a leading member of the '' genrō'', a group of senior courtiers and statesmen who dominated the politics ...

. 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, accompanied the

Iwakura Mission The Iwakura Mission or Iwakura Embassy (, ''Iwakura Shisetsudan'') was a Japanese diplomatic voyage to Europe and the United States 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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 or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a Ministry (government department), government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law e ...

as served as Secretary to the governor of

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

before being appointed governor of

Tokushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

, followed by

Mie Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, 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 an ...

. 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 , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

. In 1910, following the resignation of

Itō Hirobumi Kazoku, Prince , born , was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior state ...

Resident-General of Korea The Japanese resident-general of Korea (; ) was a post overseeing the Japanese protectorate of Korea from 1905 to 1910. List of Japanese residents-general See also * Governor-General of Korea * Governor-General of Taiwan The governo ...

, 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 Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

, 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 official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Terauchi Masatake '' Gensui'' Count Terauchi Masatake (), GCB (5 February 1852 – 3 November 1919), was a Japanese military officer and politician. He was a '' Gensui'' (or Marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army and the prime minister of Japan from 1916 to 191 ...

and Hasegawa Yoshimichi. 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 First Movement was a series of protests against Japanese colonial rule that was held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. Protests were largely concentrated in March and April of that y ...

in 1919. page 125 He subsequently served as Governor-General of

Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory () was a Concessions in China, leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing dynasty, Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Tre ...

from May 1920 to September 1922. In February 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. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...

'' 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. The ...

). In January 1925, he sent to

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

as head of a special mission. Yamagata served on the Privy Council until his death in 1927.

Honours

''From the Japanese Wikipedia article''

Decorations

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), 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 c ...

, 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 honors system, 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 feat ...

(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 from Hagi, Yamaguchi People of the Meiji era People of the Kwantung Leased Territory Politicians from Yamaguchi Prefecture People from Chōshū Domain Recipients of the Order of the Plum Blossom Isaburō