Inoue Kaoru | |
|---|---|
井上 馨 | |
 Marquis Inoue Kaoru | |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 12 January 1898 – 30 June 1898 | |
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi |
| Preceded by | Matsukata Masayoshi |
| Succeeded by | Matsuda Masahisa |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 8 August 1892 – 15 October 1894 | |
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi |
| Preceded by | Kōno Togama |
| Succeeded by | Nomura Yasushi |
| Minister of Agriculture and Commerce | |
| In office 25 July 1888 – 23 December 1889 | |
| Prime Minister | Kuroda Kiyotaka |
| Preceded by | Kuroda Kiyotaka |
| Succeeded by | Iwamura Michitoshi |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 22 December 1885 – 17 September 1887 | |
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Itō Hirobumi |
| Member of theHouse of Peers | |
| In office 21 September 1907 – 1 September 1915 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1836-01-16)16 January 1836 Yuda,Chōshū Domain,Japan |
| Died | 1 September 1915(1915-09-01) (aged 79) |
| Relatives | Katsunosuke Inoue (adopted nephew) |
| Nickname | Shiji Bunta (志道 聞多) |
Marquess Inoue KaoruGCMG (井上 馨, January 16, 1836 – September 1, 1915) was aJapanesepolitician and a prominent member of theMeiji oligarchy during theMeiji period of theEmpire of Japan. As one of the senior statesmen (Genrō) in Japan during that period, he had a tremendous influence on the selection of the nation's leaders and formation of its policies.
Born Yakichi (勇吉) to a lower-rankedsamurai family in Yuda,Chōshū domain (present dayYamaguchi,Yamaguchi Prefecture), Inoue attended theMeirinkandomain school with his brother Ikutarō (幾太郎). He was a close boyhood friend ofItō Hirobumi who later became Japan's firstprime minister, and he played an active part in thesonnō jōi movement. In 1858, he studiedrangaku,artillery andswordsmanship inEdo.
In theBakumatsu period, Inoue emerged as a leader of the anti-foreigner movement in his native Chōshū. Desiring to rid Japan of foreigners, he andTakasugi Shinsaku set fire to the British legation in Edo in January 1863.
Recognizing Japan's need to learn from the Western powers, Inoue joined theChōshū Five and was smuggled out of Japan to study atUniversity College, London[1][2] inEngland in 1863. When he returned with Itō Hirobumi, he unsuccessfully tried to prevent war (theBattle of Shimonoseki) between Chōshū and the Western naval powers over the closing of theStraits of Shimonoseki to foreign shipping.
Later, during the 1864First Chōshū Expedition which he was severely wounded by assassins from a rival Chōshū faction. Suffering a near-fatal injury, Inoue asked his elder brother to behead him and end his unbearable pain. However,Ikutaro Tokoro, who was in hiding from the Tokugawa shogunate alongsidePrince Sanjō Sanetomi, rushed to Inoue's aid. In an emergency procedure during the wartime chaos, Tokoro stitched Inoue's wounds—about 50 in total—using a tatami needle and without anesthesia. (According to a story featured in the National Japanese textbook of the 5th period, Inoue's mother, holding her bloodied son, dissuaded his elder brother from carrying out the beheading.)[3]
He later played a key role in the formation of theSatchō Alliance against the Tokugawa shogunate.
After theMeiji Restoration, Inoue served in several important positions in the newMeiji government. He was appointedVice Minister of Finance in 1871 and was influential in reorganizing government finances on modern lines, especially in thereform of the land tax system, termination of government stipends to the ex-samurai and former aristocracy and for promoting industrialization. Closely linked to business circles, including the emergingMitsuizaibatsu, he was also involved in the railway business. These measures created many political enemies, and Inoue was forced to resign in May 1873. Inoue took part in theOsaka Conference of 1875 to support the creation of a representativenational assembly.
In 1876, Inoue was asked to assist in the field of foreign affairs, and was involved in the conclusion of theJapan-Korea Treaty of 1876 as vice-ambassador extraordinary andplenipotentiary. He returned to government asMinister of Public Works in 1878 and Lord of Foreign Affairs in 1879 under the early MeijiDajō-kan Cabinet. In 1884, he was elevated to the rank ofcount (hakushaku) under the newkazoku peerage system.
In December 1885, Inoue officially became Japan's firstMinister of Foreign Affairs bearing that title in the firstItō Hirobumi cabinet. However, Inoue came under public criticism for his failure to negotiate a revision of theunequal treaties, his building of theRokumeikan, and support of its Westernizing influences, which forced him to resign in August 1887.
Later he served asMinister of Agriculture and Commerce in theKuroda administration, asHome Minister in the second Itō administration and again as Finance Minister in the 3rd Itō administration.
From 1901 onwards, Inoue served as most senior of thegenrō, and considered himself the government's foremost advisor on financial affairs. He was advanced to the title of marquis (kōshaku) in 1907, and died in 1915 at his summer home atOkitsu-juku,Shizuoka prefecture.
From the article in the Japanese Wikipedia
Kingdom of Italy: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Crown (December 2, 1879)
France: Grand Officer of theLegion of Honour (March 26, 1883)
German Empire: Grand Cross of theOrder of the Red Eagle (May 25, 1883)
Spain:Order of Charles III, 3rd Class (March 1, 1884)
Kingdom of Portugal: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (May 7, 1884)
Russian Empire:Knight of the White Eagle (March 8, 1885)
Austria-Hungary:Knight of the Iron Crown, 1st Class (November 10, 1892)
United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) (February 20, 1906)[4]
Media related toInoue Kaoru at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none | Minister for Foreign Affairs ofJapan Dec 1885 – Sept 1887 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Jul 1888 – Dec 1889 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home Minister Aug 1892 – Oct 1894 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Finance Minister Jan 1898 – Jun 1898 | Succeeded by |
