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Katō Takaaki | |||||
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加藤 高明 | |||||
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| Prime Minister of Japan | |||||
| In office 11 June 1924 – 28 January 1926 | |||||
| Monarch | Taishō | ||||
| Regent | Hirohito | ||||
| Preceded by | Kiyoura Keigo | ||||
| Succeeded by | Wakatsuki Reijirō | ||||
| President of the Kenseikai | |||||
| In office 10 October 1916 – 28 January 1926 | |||||
| Preceded by | Position established | ||||
| Succeeded by | Wakatsuki Reijirō | ||||
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |||||
| In office 16 April 1914 – 10 August 1915 | |||||
| Prime Minister | Ōkuma Shigenobu | ||||
| Preceded by | Makino Nobuaki | ||||
| Succeeded by | Ōkuma Shigenobu | ||||
| In office 29 January 1913 – 20 February 1913 | |||||
| Prime Minister | Katsura Tarō | ||||
| Preceded by | Katsura Tarō | ||||
| Succeeded by | Makino Nobuaki | ||||
| In office 7 January 1906 – 3 March 1906 | |||||
| Prime Minister | Saionji Kinmochi | ||||
| Preceded by | Komura Jutarō | ||||
| Succeeded by | Saionji Kinmochi | ||||
| In office 19 October 1900 – 3 June 1901 | |||||
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi | ||||
| Preceded by | Aoki Shūzō | ||||
| Succeeded by | Sone Arasuke | ||||
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |||||
| In office 10 August 1902 – 11 December 1903 | |||||
| Preceded by | Constituency established | ||||
| Succeeded by | Horiya Kijirō | ||||
| Constituency | Kōichi Counties (1902–1903) Yokohama City (1903) | ||||
| Member of theHouse of Peers | |||||
| In office 10 August 1915 – 28 January 1926 Nominated by theEmperor | |||||
| Personal details | |||||
| Born | Hattori Sokichi (1860-01-03)3 January 1860 | ||||
| Died | 28 January 1926(1926-01-28) (aged 66) | ||||
| Cause of death | Pneumonia | ||||
| Party | Kenseikai (1916–1926) | ||||
| Other political affiliations | Rikken Dōshikai (1913–1916) | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Relatives | Kiuchi Jūshirō (brother-in-law) Kijūrō Shidehara (brother-in-law) | ||||
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 加藤 高明 | ||||
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| Alternative Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 服部 総吉 | ||||
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CountKatō Takaaki (Japanese:加藤 高明,Kyujitai: 加藤󠄁 高明󠄁; bornHattori Sōkichi [服部 総吉]; 3 January 1860 – 28 January 1926), also known asKatō Kōmei, was a Japanesepolitician, diplomat, andPrime Minister of Japan from 1924 until his death on 28 January 1926, during the period which historians have called "Taishō Democracy".
AsMinister for Foreign Affairs, he negotiated theAnglo-Japanese Alliance, and presented China with theTwenty-One Demands, which demanded greater Japanese control of China.[1] He was a key figure in the campaign foruniversal male suffrage in Japan.[1] He has been characterized as a liberal.[1]
Katō was born asHattori Sokichi, the second son of a formersamurai retainer of theOwari Tokugawa domain inNagoya,Owari Province, in the town ofSaya,Ama District in what is now part of the city ofAisai,Aichi Prefecture. He was adopted by Katō Bunhei at the age of 13, and attended theUniversity of Tokyo, from which he graduated at the top of his class from the Law Department in 1881, specializing inEnglish common law. After graduation, he worked as an employee ofMitsubishizaibatsu, and was sent toLondon for two years. On his return to Japan in 1885, he became an assistant manager at the Mitsubishi head office inMarunouchi,Tokyo. In 1886, he married Haruji, the eldest daughter ofIwasaki Yatarō, the president of Mitsubishi.
In 1887, Katō became private secretary toŌkuma Shigenobu, who was thenMinister of Foreign Affairs, and worked with Ōkuma on the revision of theunequal treaties. Subsequently, he served as director of the Banking Bureau in theFinance Ministry.[2]
From 1894 to 1899, he served as envoy to theUnited Kingdom, and in 1900, during the 4th Itō administration, he became Foreign Minister; however, the Ito administration remained in office only a few months. During his period in the United Kingdom and in the Foreign Ministry, he helped lay the foundations for theAnglo-Japanese Alliance, which was concluded in 1902. In 1902 he was elected a member of theHouse of Representatives in theDiet fromKōchi Prefecture.
Appointed again as Foreign Minister in theSaionji cabinet (1906), he resigned after a brief interval, being opposed to thenationalization of the private railways, which the cabinet approved. He then remained without office until 1908, when he accepted the post of ambassador in London. He received an honoraryGCMG, and earned the reputation of being one of the strongest among the junior statesmen.[3] He resigned his post as ambassador in December 1912, and again served as Foreign Minister in the 3rdKatsura and 2nd Ōkuma administrations, but soon resigned. He created a Constitutionalist party, becoming its president in 1913, and joined the cabinet as Foreign Minister in April 1914.[4]
He was thus foreign minister at the outbreak ofWorld War I, and in the words ofHew Strachan (The First World War, p. 72):"Of all the world's statesmen in 1914, Katō proved the most adroit at using war for the purposes of policy. Domestically he exploited it to assert the dominance of the Foreign Ministry and of the cabinet in the making of Japan's foreign policy. Internationally he took the opportunity to redefine Japan's relationship with China. In doing so he was not simply outflanking the extremists opposed to him; he was also honouring his own belief that Japan should be a great power like those of Europe."
Katō's decision that Japan should enterWorld War I greatly angered thegenrō, who had not been consulted, and who therefore felt that their power and authority were being slighted. In addition, Katō created considerable controversy in January 1915, when he issued theTwenty-One Demands toChina, which sparked a major international incident and considerable opposition domestically.
 Katō before 1926 | |
| Premiership of Katō Takaaki 11 June 1924 – 28 January 1926 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Taishō |
|---|---|
| Cabinet | Katō Takaaki Cabinet |
| Party | Kenseikai |
| Election | 1924 |
| Seat | Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei |
 Emblem of the Government of Japan | |
In 1915, Katō was selected as a member of theHouse of Peers by Imperial command. He became president of the conservativeKenseikai political party in the following year, whose policies he greatly influenced with his opposition to thegenrō, support of the constitution and support for extension of popularsuffrage.
Katō was appointedPrime Minister of Japan from 1924 until his death in early 1926. His cabinet was nicknamed the"Goken Sanpa Naikaku" (Cabinet based on the three pro-Constitution factions), which, despite itscoalition nature, was able to enact significant legislation. In 1925, Katō had theGeneral Election Law enacted, which extended the vote to all male citizens over the age of 25. He also ratified thePeace Preservation Law, which suppressed leftist political organizations, and concluded theSoviet–Japanese Basic Convention. He also initiated universal military service. Katō strove to reduce government spending, but also suffered considerable personal criticism for his family links with Mitsubishi.
Katō Takaaki died in office frompneumonia in 1926, aged 66.
From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kato, Taka-Akira".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 696.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922)."Kato, Takaaki Komei, Viscount".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 31 (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company. p. 676.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1900–1901 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1906 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1914–1915 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Japan 1924–1926 | Succeeded by |
| Empire of Japan (1868–1947) |
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| Japan (1947–present) |
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