*anese general and politician (1848–1913)

In this *anese name, the surname is Katsura.

Prince Katsura Tarō (桂 太郎, 4 January 1848:– 10 October 1913) was a *anese politician and general of the Imperial *anese Army who served as the Prime Minister of *an from 1901 to 1906, from 1908 to 1911, and from 1912 to 1913.

Katsura was a distinguished general of the First Sino-*anese War and a genrō of the Meiji government who served as Governor-General of Taiwan and Minister of War. Katsura was appointed Prime Minister in 1901 as a military candidate and positioned himself as a conservative outside party politics. Katsura's first and second premierships oversaw several major events in modern *anese history, including the Russo-*anese War and the annexation of Korea. Katsura's third premiership triggered the Taisho Political Crisis, and he resigned three months later after a vote of no confidence.

Katsura is the second-longest serving Prime Minister of *an, after Shinzō Abe, and served for 2883 days over his three terms from 1901 to 1913.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Army career
• 3 Prime Minister
  • 3.1 First administration
  • 3.2 Second administration
  • 3.3 Third administration
• 4 Death
• 5 Honors
  • 5.1 *les
  • 5.2 Decorations
    • 5.2.1 *anese
    • 5.2.2 Foreign
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Early life

Katsura was born on 4 January 1848 in Hagi, Nagato Province (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) as the eldest son of horse guard Katsura Yoichiemon into a samurai family of the Chōshū Domain. As a youth, Katsura joined the movement against the Tokugawa shogunate and participated in the Boshin War that led to the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

Army career

Katsura Taro

The new Meiji government considered that Katsura displayed great talent, and in 1870 sent him to Germany to study military science. He served as military attaché at the *anese emb*y in Germany from 1875 to 1878 and again from 1884 to 1885. On his return to *an, he was promoted to major general. He served in several key positions within the Imperial *anese Army, and in 1886 was appointed Vice-Minister of War.

During the First Sino-*anese War (1894–1895) Katsura commanded the IJA 3rd Division under his mentor, Field Marshal Yamagata Aritomo. During the war, his division made a memorable march in the depth of winter from the north-east s* of the Yellow Sea to Haicheng, finally occupying Niuchwang, and effecting a junction with the IJA 2nd Army which had moved up the Liaodong Peninsula.

After the war, he was elevated with the *le of shishaku (viscount) under the kazoku peerage system. He was appointed 2nd Governor-General of Taiwan from 2 June 1896, to October 1896.

In successive cabinets from 1898 to 1901, he served as Minister of War.

Prime Minister

Katsura Tarō, before 1913

Katsura Tarō served as the 11th, 13th and 15th prime minister of *an. His position as the longest-serving prime minister of *an (total length) was surp*ed by Shinzō Abe on 20 November 2019.

First administration

Katsura became prime minister for the first time on 2 June 1901, and he retained the office for four and a half years to 7 January 1906, which was then a record in *an. *an emerged as a major imperialist power in East Asia. In terms of foreign affairs, it was marked by the Anglo-*anese Alliance of 1902 and victory over the Russian Empire in the Russo-*anese War of 1904–1905. During his tenure, the Taft–Katsura agreement, accepting *anese hegemony over Korea, was reached with the United States. Katsura received the Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George from British King Edward VII and was elevated to the rank of marquess by Emperor Meiji.

In terms of domestic policy, Katsura was a strictly conservative politician who attempted to distance himself from the Diet of *an and party politics. His political views mirrored that of Yamagata Aritomo in that he viewed that his sole responsibility was to the Emperor. He vied for control of the government with the Rikken Seiyūkai, the majority party of the lower house, headed by his archrival, Marquess Saionji Kinmochi.

In January 1906, Katsura resigned the premiership to Saionji Kinmochi over the unpopular Treaty of Portsmouth (1905), ending the war between *an and Russia. However, his resignation was part of a "back door deal," brokered by Hara Takashi to alternate power between Saionji and Hara.

On 1 April 1906, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

Second administration

Katsura returned as Prime Minister from 14 July 1908, to 30 August 1911. His second term was noteworthy for the *an–Korea Annexation Treaty of 1910. He also promulgated the Factory Act in 1911, the first act for the purpose of labor protection in *an.

Katsura was increasingly unpopular during his second term over public perception that he was using his office to further both his personal fortune and the interests of the military (gunbatsu) over the welfare of the people. He also faced growing public dissatisfaction over the persistence of the hanbatsu domainal based politics.

After his resignation, he became a kōshaku (公爵 = prince), Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of *an and one of the genrō.

Third administration

Katsura's brief reappointment again as Prime Minister again from 21 December 1912, to 20 February 1913, sparked widespread riots in what became known as the Taisho Political Crisis. His appointment was viewed as a plot by the genrō to overthrow the Meiji Cons*ution. However, rather than compromising, Katsura created his own political party, the Rikken Dōshikai (Cons*utional *ociation of Allies) in an effort to establish his own support base.

However, faced with a no-confidence motion, the first successful one in *anese history, and the loss of the support of his backers, he was forced to resign in February 1913. He was succeeded by Yamamoto Gonnohyōe.

Death

The funeral carriage leaving Katsura's residence en route to Zōjō-ji in October 1913 Katsura's grave in Tokyo

Katsura died of stomach cancer eight months later on 10 October 1913, aged 65. His funeral was held at the temple of Zōjō-ji in Shiba, Tokyo and his grave is at the Shōin Jinja, in Setagaya, Tokyo.

Honors

From the corresponding article in the *anese Wikipedia

A bronze statue of Katsura Tarō on the top of the stairs of Takushoku University in Hachiōji, Tokyo A memorial stone that commemorates the opening of Sasago railway tunnel. The epigraph was written by Taro Katsura.

*les

• Viscount (20 August 1895)
• Count (27 February 1902)
• Marquess (21 September 1907)
• Prince (21 April 1911)

Decorations

*anese

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (20 August 1895; Second Cl*: 11 May 1891)
• Order of the Golden Kite, 3rd cl* (20 August 1895)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (27 December 1901; Third Cl*: 19 November 1885; Fourth Cl*: 26 May 1880)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (10 October 1913; posthumous)
• Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (10 October 1913, posthumous; Grand Cordon: 1 April 1906)

Foreign

• :Russian Empire:
  • Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (1 May 1899)
  • Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky in Brilliants (11 November 1911)
• :German Empire:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle (4 October 1906; Knight 1st Cl*: 3 February 1900)
  • Knight of the Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown (19 September 1912)
  • Duchy of Brunswick: Knight 1st Cl* of the Order of Henry the Lion (1 July 1910)
• :France: Grand Officer of the Legion d'Honneur (16 April 1901)
• :United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) (8 July 1905)
• Holy See: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX (5 June 1906)
• :Korean Empire: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Golden Ruler (21 December 1907)
• :Qing dynasty: Order of the Double Dragon, Cl* I Grade II (21 December 1907; Cl* I Grade III: 18 December 1899)

References

• Lone, Stewart (2000). Army, Empire, and Politics in Meiji *an: The Three Careers of General Katsura Taro. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN:0-312-23289-6.

External links

Media related to Katsura Tarō at Wikimedia Commons

• Newspaper clippings about Katsura Tarō in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

State of *an, 1947–presentItalics denote acting prime ministers