Saionji Kinmochi
(1849–1940), Japanese leader. Descended from the most influential imperial court family, the Fujiwara, Saionji is known as the "last genro" for his behind-the-scenes leadership as Japan's last active surviving elder statesman after the death of Prince Yamagata Aritomo in 1922. A native of Kyoto, Saionji, at age eighteen, served as imperial representative in battles waged by the new government against northern enemies after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1867. He helped found Meiji Law School in 1880 (later Meiji University) and was president of the liberal newspaper Toyo jiyu shinbun (Oriental Free Press) in 1881. Saionji's political appointments included minister of education (1894–1896; 1898), acting minister of foreign affairs (1895–1896), vice president of the House of Peers (1893–1894), president of the Privy Council (1900–1903), president of the Seiyukai political party (1903–1914), and prime minister (1906–1908; 1911–1912).
Saionji studied law in France (1871–1880), was a member of Ito Hirobumi's entourage investigating European constitutions (1882), Japan's minister to Austria (1885–1887) and Germany (1887–1891), and Japanese plenipotentiary to the Versailles Peace Conference (1919). As principal power broker in Tokyo (1922–1936), his efforts on behalf of representative government and cooperative relations with Britain and the United States were exceeded only by his passion for protecting the throne.
Further Reading
Connors, Lesley. (1987) The Emperor's Adviser: Saionji Kinmochi and Pre-War Japanese Politics. London: Croom Helm.
Oka Yoshitake. (1986) Five Political Leaders of Modern Japan: Ito Hirobumi, Okuma Shigenobu, Hara Takashi, Inukai Tsuyoshi, and Saionji Kimmochi. Trans. by Andrew Fraser and Patricia Murray. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press.
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