Kiyoura Keigo
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese politician
. He was the 23rd Prime Minister of Japan
from 7 January 1924 to 11 June 1924, during the period which historians have called the “Taisho Democracy”.
, Higo Province
, (part of present-day Yamaga, Kumamoto
), as the fifth son of a Buddhist priest named Ōkubo Ryoshi. He studied at the private school of Hirose Tanso from 1865 to 1871. During this time, he befriended Governor Nomura Morihide and took up the name "Kiyoura Keigo."
in 1873 and appointed Kiyoura to a junior-grade civil service position there.
In 1876, at the age of twenty-seven, Kiyoura joined the Ministry of Justice
, and served as a prosecutor and helping draft Japan’s first modern Criminal procedure
s laws. In 1884 he caught the attention of Yamagata Aritomo
who appointed him head of the police forces in Japan, despite his relative youth of 34. Kiyoura went on to serve as Vice Minister of Justice, and Minister of Justice and while at the Ministry of Justice, he helped draft the Peace Preservation Law
of 1887.
In 1891, he was selected as a member of the House of Peers
by Imperial nomination. A close ally of Yamagata Aritomo
, he was rewarded with numerous cabinet positions, including that of Justice Minister in the second Matsukata
and second Yamagata administrations, and Justice, Agriculture and Commerce
ministers in the first Katsura
administration.
In 1902, Kiyoura was elevated to the title of baron
(danshaku) in the kazoku
peerage system. He received the 1st class of the Order of the Sacred Treasures
the following year, and in 1906 was awarded with the 1st class of the Order of the Rising Sun
. In September 1907, his title was elevated to viscount
(shishaku).
In 1914, while he was Chairman of the Privy Council
, Kiyoura received an imperial order appointing him Prime Minister of Japan
following Yamamoto Gonnohyōe
. However, Kiyoura declined the post because of the controversy involving the ongoing Siemens scandal
and Ōkuma Shigenobu
was chosen to become prime minister instead.
, and become 23rd Prime Minister of Japan
. However, his cabinet was formed at a time when non-partisan, aristocratic cabinets were falling out of favor, and the Diet
's lower house held up most of his initiatives for all six months of his administration.
Perhaps the most important event during his term as prime minister was the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hirohito
(the future Emperor Shōwa) with Nagako Kuniyoshi (the future Empress Kōjun
) on 26 January 1924.
In 1924, he dissolved the Lower House of the Diet of Japan
when faced with the three party coalition of the Kenseikai
, Rikken Seiyukai
and Kakushin Kurabu which had formed a majority in Diet of more than 150 seats. As a result of his massive rout in the subsequent general election, his cabinet resigned en masse.
In November 1928, Kiyoura was elevated to the title of Count
(hakushaku). He was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum in 1942.
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...
ese politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was the 23rd Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
from 7 January 1924 to 11 June 1924, during the period which historians have called the “Taisho Democracy”.
Early life
Kiyoura was born with the name Fujaku in Kamoto-gunKamoto District, Kumamoto
was a district located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 31,088 and the density of 472.39 persons per square kilometer...
, Higo Province
Higo Province
Higo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Hizen Province. Higo bordered on Chikugo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Provinces....
, (part of present-day Yamaga, Kumamoto
Yamaga, Kumamoto
is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.On January 15, 2005 Yamaga absorbed the towns of Kahoku, Kamoto, Kaō and Kikuka, all from Kamoto District, into the new expanded city of Yamaga....
), as the fifth son of a Buddhist priest named Ōkubo Ryoshi. He studied at the private school of Hirose Tanso from 1865 to 1871. During this time, he befriended Governor Nomura Morihide and took up the name "Kiyoura Keigo."
Political career
Nomura was appointed governor of Saitama PrefectureSaitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
in 1873 and appointed Kiyoura to a junior-grade civil service position there.
In 1876, at the age of twenty-seven, Kiyoura joined the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Japan)
The is one of Ministries of the Japanese government.-Meiji Constitution:The Ministry of Justice was established under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1871 as the .-Constitution of Japan:...
, and served as a prosecutor and helping draft Japan’s first modern Criminal procedure
Criminal procedure
Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated criminal law.-Basic rights:Currently, in many countries with a democratic system and the rule of law, criminal procedure puts the burden of proof on the prosecution – that is, it is up to the...
s laws. In 1884 he caught the attention of Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo
Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese...
who appointed him head of the police forces in Japan, despite his relative youth of 34. Kiyoura went on to serve as Vice Minister of Justice, and Minister of Justice and while at the Ministry of Justice, he helped draft the Peace Preservation Law
Peace Preservation Law
The Public Security Preservation Laws were a series of laws enacted during the Empire of Japan. Collectively, the laws were designed to suppress political dissent.-the Safety Preservation Law of 1894:...
of 1887.
In 1891, he was selected as a member of the House of Peers
House of Peers (Japan)
The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....
by Imperial nomination. A close ally of Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo
Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese...
, he was rewarded with numerous cabinet positions, including that of Justice Minister in the second Matsukata
Matsukata Masayoshi
Prince was a Japanese politician and the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Japan.-Early life:...
and second Yamagata administrations, and Justice, Agriculture and Commerce
Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce
The was a cabinet-level ministry in the government of the Empire of Japan from 1881-1925. It was briefly recreated as the during World War II-History:...
ministers in the first Katsura
Katsura Taro
Prince , was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician and three-time Prime Minister of Japan.-Early life:Katsura was born into a samurai family from Hagi, Chōshū Domain...
administration.
In 1902, Kiyoura was elevated to 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) in 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. He received the 1st class of the Order of the Sacred Treasures
Order of the Sacred Treasures
The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
the following year, and in 1906 was awarded with the 1st class of 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...
. In September 1907, his title was elevated to 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).
In 1914, while he was Chairman of the Privy Council
Privy Council (Japan)
was an advisory council to the Emperor of Japan that operated from 1888 to 1947.-Functions:Modeled in part upon the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, this body advised the throne on matters of grave importance including:...
, Kiyoura received an imperial order appointing him Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
following Yamamoto Gonnohyōe
Yamamoto Gonnohyoe
, also called Gonnohyōe, was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the 16th and 22nd Prime Minister of Japan.-Early life:...
. However, Kiyoura declined the post because of the controversy involving the ongoing Siemens scandal
Siemens scandal
of January 1914 was one of several spectacular political scandals of late Meiji and Taishō period Japanese politics, leading to the fall of the cabinet of Yamamoto Gonnohyoe...
and Ōkuma Shigenobu
Okuma Shigenobu
Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...
was chosen to become prime minister instead.
As Prime Minister
Kiyoura accepted a second imperial order in 1924 following the Toranomon IncidentToranomon Incident
The was an assassination attempt on the then Prince Regent Hirohito of Japan on 27 December 1923 by communist agitator Daisuke Namba.The incident took place at the Toranomon intersection between the Akasaka Palace and the Diet of Japan in downtown Tokyo, Japan...
, and become 23rd Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
. However, his cabinet was formed at a time when non-partisan, aristocratic cabinets were falling out of favor, and the Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
's lower house held up most of his initiatives for all six months of his administration.
Perhaps the most important event during his term as prime minister was the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
(the future Emperor Shōwa) with Nagako Kuniyoshi (the future Empress Kōjun
Empress Kojun
' was empress consort of Emperor Hirohito of Japan. Born , she was the mother of the present Emperor .Her posthumous name is Kōjun, which means "fragrant purity"...
) on 26 January 1924.
In 1924, he dissolved the Lower House of the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
when faced with the three party coalition of the Kenseikai
Kenseikai
The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan.The Kenseikai was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the Rikken Doshikai , Chuseikai and the Koyu Kurabu...
, Rikken Seiyukai
Rikken Seiyukai
The was one of the main political parties in the pre-war Empire of Japan. It was also known simply as the ‘Seiyūkai'Founded on September 15, 1900 by Itō Hirobumi , the Seiyūkai was a pro-government alliance of bureaucrats and former members of the Kenseitō. The Seiyūkai was the most powerful...
and Kakushin Kurabu which had formed a majority in Diet of more than 150 seats. As a result of his massive rout in the subsequent general election, his cabinet resigned en masse.
In November 1928, Kiyoura was elevated to the title of Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
(hakushaku). He was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum in 1942.