Katō Hiroyuki | |
|---|---|
加藤 弘之 | |
 Katō Hiroyuki | |
| Born | (1836-08-05)August 5, 1836 |
| Died | February 9, 1916(1916-02-09) (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, legal scholar |
| Family | Yamagata Isaburō (Son-in-law) |
BaronKatō Hiroyuki (加藤 弘之, August 5, 1836 – February 9, 1916) was an academic and politician of theMeiji periodJapan.[1]
Katō was born on August 5, 1836, to asamurai family inIzushi domain,Tajima Province (present dayHyōgo Prefecture), and studied military science underSakuma Shōzan andrangaku underOki Nakamasu inEdo.
As an instructor at theTokugawa bakufu'sBansho Shirabesho institute for researching Western science and technology from 1860 to 1868, he was one of the first Japanese to studyGerman language andGerman philosophy.
After theMeiji Restoration, Katō wrote numerous theses recommending Japanese adoption of Western forms of government, especially that of aconstitutional monarchy with anational assembly based onrepresentative democracy. He joined theRikken Seiyūkaipolitical party, and was also a founding member of theMeirokusha intellectual society organized byMori Arinori. A strong believer insocial Darwinism, he drew parallels a democratic government and the natural order. As a member of theGenroin, he strongly supportedStatism, a much more authoritarian version of government against the views propounded by theFreedom and People's Rights Movement.
Katō gave lectures to theemperor each week on constitutional and international law, using translations from western texts to explain the concept ofseparation of powers between executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government, the history of constitutions in Europe, and various forms of local administration.[2]
Katō served as superintendent of the Departments of Law, Science, and Literature ofTokyo Imperial University 1877–1886, and again as president 1890–1893, and was head of the Imperial Academy 1905–1909. He was also a special adviser to theImperial Household Agency.
Katō was appointed a member of theHouse of Peers in 1890, and was ennobled with the title ofdanshaku (baron) under thekazoku peerage system in 1900. In addition, he became aPrivy Councilor.
He died on February 9, 1916.
From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
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