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Kuroda Kiyotaka | |||||
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黒田 清隆 | |||||
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| Prime Minister of Japan | |||||
| In office 30 April 1888 – 25 October 1889 | |||||
| Monarch | Meiji | ||||
| Preceded by | Itō Hirobumi | ||||
| Succeeded by | Sanjō Sanetomi (acting) Yamagata Aritomo | ||||
| President of the Privy Council | |||||
| In office 17 March 1894 – 23 August 1900 | |||||
| Monarch | Meiji | ||||
| Vice President | Higashikuze Michitomi | ||||
| Preceded by | Yamagata Aritomo | ||||
| Succeeded by | Saionji Kinmochi | ||||
| ActingPrime Minister of Japan | |||||
| In office 31 August 1896 – 18 September 1896 | |||||
| Monarch | Meiji | ||||
| Preceded by | Itō Hirobumi | ||||
| Succeeded by | Matsukata Masayoshi | ||||
| Minister of Communications | |||||
| In office 8 August 1892 – 17 March 1895 | |||||
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi | ||||
| Preceded by | Gotō Shōjirō | ||||
| Succeeded by | Watanabe Kunitake | ||||
| Minister of Agriculture and Commerce | |||||
| In office 17 September 1887 – 30 April 1888 | |||||
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi | ||||
| Preceded by | Hijikata Hisamoto | ||||
| Succeeded by | Inoue Kaoru | ||||
| Director of the Hokkaidō Development Commission | |||||
| In office 2 August 1874 – February 1882 | |||||
| Monarch | Meiji | ||||
| Preceded by | Higashikuze Michitomi (1871) | ||||
| Succeeded by | Saigō Jūdō | ||||
| Personal details | |||||
| Born | (1840-11-09)9 November 1840 | ||||
| Died | 23 August 1900(1900-08-23) (aged 59) | ||||
| Cause of death | Intracerebral hemorrhage | ||||
| Political party | Independent | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Signature |  | ||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kyūjitai | 黑田 淸隆 | ||||
| Shinjitai | 黒田 清隆 | ||||
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CountKuroda Kiyotaka (黒田 清隆; 9 November 1840 – 23 August 1900) was a Japanese politician and general who served asprime minister of Japan from 1888 to 1889. He was one of thegenrō, or senior statesman of theMeiji era. Born in theSatsuma Domain to asamurai family, Kuroda was involved in the colonization ofHokkaido, theJapan–Korea Treaty of 1876, and the suppression of theSatsuma Rebellion in 1877. After his tenure as prime minister, which ended due to his inability to revise theunequal treaties imposed on Japan, Kuroda also served asMinister of Communications andPresident of the Privy Council.
_of_Kuroda_Kiyotaka%2c_with_Inoue_Kaoru_behind_him.jpg)
Kuroda was born to asamurai-class family serving theShimazudaimyō ofKagoshima,Satsuma Domain, inKyūshū.[1]
In 1862, Kuroda was involved in theNamamugi incident, in whichSatsuma retainers killed a British national who refused to bow down to thedaimyo's procession. This led to theAnglo-Satsuma War in 1863, in which Kuroda played an active role. Immediately after the war, he went toEdo where he studied gunnery.
Returning to Satsuma, Kuroda became an active member of theSatsuma-Chōshū joint effort to overthrow theTokugawa shogunate. Later, as a military leader in theBoshin War, he became famous for sparing the life ofEnomoto Takeaki, who had stood against Kuroda's army at theBattle of Hakodate.
Under the newMeiji government, Kuroda in 1870 became a pioneer-diplomat toSakhalin, then known in Japanese as Karafuto and claimed by both Japan and theRussian Empire. Terrified of Russia's push eastward, Kuroda returned to Tokyo and advocated quick development and settlement of Japan's northern frontier.
In 1871, he traveled toEurope and theUnited States for five months, and upon returning to Japan in 1872, he was put in charge of colonization efforts inHokkaidō.
In 1874, Kuroda was named director of theHokkaidō Colonization Office, and organized a colonist-militia scheme to settle the island with unemployed ex-samurai and retired soldiers who would serve as both farmers and as a local militia. He was also promoted tolieutenant general in theImperial Japanese Army. Kuroda invitedagricultural experts from overseas countries with a similar climate to visit Hokkaidō, and to provide advice on what crops and production methods might be successful.
Kuroda was dispatched as an envoy toKorea in 1875, and negotiated theJapan–Korea Treaty of 1876. In 1877, he was sent as part of the force to suppress theSatsuma Rebellion. In 1878, he became de facto leader of Satsuma Domain following the assassination ofŌkubo Toshimichi.
Shortly before he left office in Hokkaidō, Kuroda became the central figure in the Hokkaidō Colonization Office Scandal of 1881. As part of the government's privatization program, Kuroda attempted to sell the assets of the Hokkaidō Colonization Office to a trading consortium created by some of his former Satsuma colleagues for a nominal price. When the terms of the sale were leaked to the press, the resultant public outrage caused the sale to fall through. Also in 1881, Kuroda's wife died of alung disease, but on rumors that Kuroda had killed her in a drunken rage, the body was exhumed and examined. Kuroda was cleared of charges, but rumors of his problems withalcohol abuse persisted.
In 1887, Kuroda was appointed to the cabinet post ofMinister of Agriculture and Commerce.
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| Premiership of Kuroda Kiyotaka 30 April 1888 – 25 October 1889 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Meiji |
|---|---|
| Cabinet | Kuroda Cabinet |
| Party | Military (Army) |
| Seat | Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei |
Sanjō Sanetomi (caretaker) → | |
 Emblem of the Government of Japan | |
Kuroda Kiyotaka became the 2ndPrime Minister of Japan, afterItō Hirobumi in 1888. During his term, he oversaw the promulgation of theMeiji Constitution. However, the vexing issue of Japan's inability to secure revision of theunequal treaties created considerable controversy. After drafts of proposed revisions drawn up by his foreign ministerŌkuma Shigenobu became public in 1889, the plan to appoint foreigners as judicial officers to abolish consular jurisdiction met with great opposition, and on 18 October a bombing occurred. In response to this, nearly all cabinet members abandoned amending the treaty, and Kuroda had no choice but to agree. On 25 October, Kuroda was forced to resign. He was succeeded bySanjō Sanetomi as acting prime minister. Then, on 24 December 1889,Yamagata Aritomo, an armyField Marshal (Gensui) became the nextprime minister of Japan.
Kuroda served asMinister of Communications in 1892 under the 2nd Itō Cabinet. He was appointed agenrō in November 1889, and became President of thePrivy Council in 1895.
Kuroda died of abrain hemorrhage in 1900 and Enomoto Takeaki presided over his funeral ceremonies. His grave is at theAoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
From the corresponding Japanese Wikipedia article
Media related toKiyotaka Kuroda at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture and Commerce 1887–1888 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Japan 1888–1889 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Communications 1892–1895 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of thePrivy Council 1894–1900 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Japan Acting 1896 | Succeeded by |
| Empire of Japan (1868–1947) |
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| Japan (1947–present) |
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