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Itō Hirobumi 伊藤博文 A Chōshū samurai and Japan's first prime minister One of the Meiji era's most famous statesmen, Itō (1841 - 1909 was was a samurai of Chōshū domain, four time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th), genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō Hirobumi was born as Hayashi Risuke in the feudal province of Choshu and was renamed to Itō Shunsuke at first, then Itō Hirobumi. In 1863, he gained the title of samurai, and was one of the Chōshū Five who studied sciences at University College London. His studies in England convinced him of the necessity to modernise Japan. He returned one year later with Inoue Kaoru and warned the Chōshū samurai not to go to war with the Western nations over the right of passage through the Straits of Shimonoseki. He was one of the leaders of the Chōshū and Satsuma rebellion eventually leading to the Meiji Restoration. In 1870, he travelled to the United States to study Western currency systems. He implemented a new taxation system based on his studies abroad. In 1871, he travelled abroad again with the mission led by Prince Iwakura to revise the unequal treaties with the Western powers and study Western technology. In 1873, was made a full councillor working on the modernization of Japan. He became Home Minister following Okubo Toshimichi's assassination in 1878, then assured his dominance at the government by forcing Okuma Shigenobu to resign in 1881. Itō went to Europe in 1882 to study the constitutions of those countries, spending nearly 18 months away from Japan. While working on a constitution for Japan, he also wrote the first Imperial Household Law and established the Japanese peerage system (kazoku 華族) in 1884 as well as a cabinet and civil service in 1885, and became the country's first prime minister. He supervised the drafting of Japan's first constitution from 1883 to 1889 and created the Privy Council in 1888. Itō became an intimate advisor to the emperor. Itō supported the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, then became the leader of Japan's first political party, the Seiyukai. Following the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Japan occupied Korea, and Itō Hirobumi became its first Resident General, forcing King Gojong to abdicate, and thus giving Japan considerable control over Korea. Itō who had opposed an annexation of Korea was assassinated in 1909 by a Korean nationalist while on a trip to Harbin (Manchuria). This served as a pretext for the full annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910. Links: Japan’s First Prime Minister: Ito Hirobumi, Samurai Prime Minister by Tofugu.com Ito Hirobumi by House Of Japan Recommended Reading: Discussion: Discuss this topic on the Japan Forum!

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