Ichiro Motono
Encyclopedia
was a statesman an diplomat, active in Meiji period
Japan
.
, Hizen Province
, (modern-day Saga Prefecture
). His father, an entrepreneur, was one of the founders of the modern Yomiuri Shimbun
. Motono studied law in France
, and in 1896 translated the civil code
of the Japanese Empire into French
http://www.ndl.go.jp/jp/publication/books_on_japan/boj_frm_J_200501-03.html. He served as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Belgium in 1898-1901, and in that capacity represented the Empire of Japan
at the 1899 Hague Peace Conference. In 1905 served as a judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration
, and formed a dissential opinion in the case of the Japanese Tax House http://www.pca-cpa.org/upload/files/Japanese%20House%20Tax%20English%20Sentence.pdf. He served as the Japanese Ambassador to the Empire of Russia from 1906 to 1916.
On June 14, 1907, he was granted the title of baron
(danshaku) under the kazoku
peerage system for his services, and was also awarded the Order of the Rising Sun
, 1st class. HIs title was elevated to that of viscount
(shishaku) on July 14, 1916. Under the cabinet of Terauchi Masatake
, he served foreign minister of Japan
between October 9, 1916 and his death in 1918. He was noted for his harsh stance against the Russian Revolution and his support of the Siberian Intervention
. On his death he was awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum
.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Biography
Motoo was born in SagaSaga, Saga
is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....
, Hizen Province
Hizen Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō...
, (modern-day Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
). His father, an entrepreneur, was one of the founders of the modern Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
. Motono studied law in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and in 1896 translated the civil code
Civil code
A civil code is a systematic collection of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of private law. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure...
of the Japanese Empire into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
http://www.ndl.go.jp/jp/publication/books_on_japan/boj_frm_J_200501-03.html. He served as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Belgium in 1898-1901, and in that capacity represented the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
at the 1899 Hague Peace Conference. In 1905 served as a judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
, and formed a dissential opinion in the case of the Japanese Tax House http://www.pca-cpa.org/upload/files/Japanese%20House%20Tax%20English%20Sentence.pdf. He served as the Japanese Ambassador to the Empire of Russia from 1906 to 1916.
On June 14, 1907, he was granted the title of baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
(danshaku) under the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage system for his services, and was also awarded the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, 1st class. HIs title was elevated to that of viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
(shishaku) on July 14, 1916. Under the cabinet of Terauchi Masatake
Terauchi Masatake
, GCB was a Japanese military officer and politician. He was a Field Marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 18th Prime Minister of Japan from 9 October 1916 to 29 September 1918.-Early period:...
, he served foreign minister of Japan
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...
between October 9, 1916 and his death in 1918. He was noted for his harsh stance against the Russian Revolution and his support of the Siberian Intervention
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
. On his death he was awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum
Order of the Chrysanthemum
is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the collar of the Order was added on January 4, 1888. Although technically the order has only one class, it can either be awarded with collar , or with grand cordon...
.
Reference
- Klaus Schlichtmann, "Japan and the Two Hague Peace Conferences, 1899 and 1907" paper presented at the 41st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF EASTERN STUDIES, Tokyo, on May 10, 1996 http://www.ne.jp/asahi/peace/unitednationsreform2007/hague_peace_and_japan.htm
- Klaus Schlichtmann, "Japan, Germany and the Idea of the Hague Peace Conferences" Journal of Peace Research, vol. 40, no. 4, 2003, pp. 385–402 http://www.ne.jp/asahi/peace/unitednationsreform2007/Haag1899_1907.pdf
- Article in the New York Times on a speech by Motono to Parliament http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9904EED6123BE03ABC4051DFB066838C609EDE.
- Article in the New York Times regarding Motono's death http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E7DA1531E433A2575AC1A96F9C946996D6CF.