Ito Miyoji (伊東巳代治, Itō Miyoji^?); (7 May 1857 - 19 February 1934) was a statesman in Meiji period Japan. May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ...

Early Life

Itō was born into a local samurai administrator's household in Nagasaki, Hizen Province (present-day Nagasaki Prefecture). From his early days, he showed a mastery of foreign languages. After working as a translation official for Hyogo Prefecture, he served in the new Meiji government. He was selected to accompany Ito Hirobumi (no relation) to Europe in 1882 to investigate the constitutions and governmental structures of various European counties, with the aim of creating a constitution for Japan. Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎市, Nagasaki-shi  , long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ... The article incorporates text from OpenHistory. ... Oranda-zaka (Dutch Slope) in Nagasaki Castle in Shimabara The island of Hirado boasts a fine castle Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県; Nagasaki-ken) is located on Kyushu island, Japan. ... Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken) is located in the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Born in Hagi, Yamaguchi, Prince Itō Hirobumi (伊藤 博文 Itō Hirobumi 16 October 1841–26 October 1909, also called Hirofumi/Hakubun and Shunsuke in his youth) was a Japanese politician and the countrys first Prime Minister (and the 5th, 7th and 10th). ...

After his return to Japan, he assisted Inoue Kowashi and Kaneko Kentaro in drafting the Meiji Constitution, and was subsequently nominated to the House of Peers. Inoue Kowashi from Kokugakuin University Achives Inoue Kowashi ); (6 February 1844 - 13 March 1895) was a statesman in Meiji period Japan. ... Japanese man ... Jōyu (上諭) - The Emperors words (1) The Constitution of the Empire of Japan ), more commonly known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution, was the fundamental law of the Empire of Japan from 29 November 1889 until 2 May 1947. ... The House of Peers (貴族院 Kizokuin) was the upper house of the Imperial Diet under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan (in effect from 11 February 1889 to 3 May 1947). ...

Government career

In 1892, he was became Chief Cabinet Secretary to Itō Hirobumi's second administration, and in 1898, served as Minister of Agriculture and Commerce under the third Itō administration. In Japan, the Chief Cabinet Secretary (内閣官房長官: Naikaku kanbô chôkan) is a Minister of State charged with directing the Cabinet Secretariat. ...

At the same time, Itō was also president of the pro-government newspaper, the Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun (the predecessor to the Mainichi Shimbun). Mainichi-Osaka Office Mainichi-News Port Mainichi Newspapers Settsu factory (A high-speed offset company factory is included. ...

From 1899, Itō served as a member of the Privy Council. In 1907, he was ennobled with the title of danshaku (baron) under the kazoku peerage system. He was further elevated to hakushaku (count) in 1922. The Privy Council of Japan (Sumitsu-in) was an advisory council to the Emperor of Japan that operated from 1888 to 1947. ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... The kazoku (華族, lit. ... A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is also still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ...

Later Career

In his later years, Itō was the bane of civilian government through his consistent and conservative use of the Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun to inflame public opinion. During the Financial Crisis of 1927, he brought out the collapse of the administration of Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijiro through a virulent bad-press campaign. He also strongly criticized Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi for accepting the London Naval Conference proposal on arms limitations as infringing on the direct prerogatives of the emperor. The Prime Minister of Japan (内閣総理大臣 Naikaku sōri daijin) is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime Minister of the Cabinet. ... Wakatsuki Reijirō (若槻 礼次郎 Wakatsuki Reijirō) (March 21, 1866 - November 20, 1949) was a Japanese politician and the 25th and 28th Prime Minister of Japan. ... Hamaguchi Osachi (浜口 雄幸 April 1, 1870–August 26, 1931) was a Japanese politician and the 27th Prime Minister of Japan from July 2, 1929 to April 14, 1931. ... There were three major international naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09, the second in 1930 and the third in 1935. ...

His grave is at the Tsukiji Hongan-ji temple in Tokyo. Tsukiji Honganji Tsukiji Hongan-ji (築地本願寺), sometimes archaically romanized Hongwanji, is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple located in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo, Japan. ... Tokyo , literally Eastern capital)   is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, the home of the Japanese Imperial Family, and the de facto[1] capital of Japan. ...

References and Further Reading

• Gordon, Andrew. A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present. Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0195110617
• Sims, Richard. Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868-2000. Palgrave Macmillan, 2001) ISBN 0312239149

External Links

• [ http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/14.html?c=0 National Diet Library Photo & Bio]