Hara Takashi
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2011) |
Hara Takashi | |||||
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原 敬 | |||||
Uchida Kosai (Acting) | |||||
Personal details | |||||
Born | Stab wounds | 15 March 1856||||
Political party | Rikken Seiyūkai | ||||
Spouse | Hara Asako (1871–1923) | ||||
Alma mater | Imperial University (Incomplete) | ||||
Signature | |||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 原 敬 | ||||
Hiragana | はら たかし | ||||
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Hara Takashi (原 敬, 15 March 1856 – 4 November 1921) was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 until his assassination.
Hara held several minor
Hara was the first
Early life
Hara Takashi was born on 15 March 1856 in Motomiya, a village near
Hara left home at the age of 15 and moved to
In 1882, Hara took a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the request of Inoue Kaoru, the Foreign Minister at the time. Based on discussions Hara had with him on his views for the future of Japanese politics during a trip both men took to Korea in 1884, Inoue appointed Hara to become consul-general in Tianjin, and the first secretary to the embassy of Japan in Paris. Hara served as Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs and as ambassador to Korea under Mutsu Munemitsu. He then left the Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist for several years, and became the manager of a newspaper company, the Mainichi Shimbun based in Osaka.
Political career
In 1900, Hara returned to politics and joined Itō Hirobumi's newly founded Rikken Seiyūkai, becoming the first secretary-general of the party.
Hara ran successfully for the House of Representatives as a representative from his native
In 1914, after heated debate, Hara was appointed the president of the Rikken Seiyūkai to replace the outgoing leader, Saionji Kinmochi. Under Hara's leadership, Rikken Seiyūkai first lost its majority control of the Diet in the 1915 general elections, but regained its majority in the 1917 general elections.
Prime Minister
In 1918, Prime Minister
As prime minister, Hara suffered in terms of popularity, because he refused to use his majority in the lower house to force through
Hara oversaw most of the Siberian intervention, which led to growing antagonism between the government and the military.
Of Hara's supposedly proactive policies, most were directed toward politicians, merchants, and conglomerates. In addition, there are some differences in the evaluation of Hara's policies before and after his inauguration, such as the repeated incidents of jail charges and his negative attitude toward the implementation of the universal suffrage law, which was the people's great desire.
Assassination
On 4 November 1921, Hara was stabbed to death by
Hara was replaced by Uchida Kōsai as acting Prime Minister until Uchida was replaced a week later by Takahashi Korekiyo.
As opposed to many of his contemporaries, Hara lived a relatively simple lifestyle in a rented home near Shiba Park in downtown Tokyo. In his will, he left very few assets behind but among these was his diary, stating that "After a period of some years my diary must be made public. It is the most valuable of all my possessions, so it must be protected." According to the will, Hara's diary was made public and what came to be called the Hara Diary (原日記, Hara Nikki) turned out to be one of the most valuable first hand accounts of the political scene in that era. Most of his daily activities are written along with opinions and thoughts regarding the political figures of the time. Hara's diary itself is thousands of pages long but reveals, in depth, a broad range of information previously unknown to historians.
Honors
From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia
Japanese
- Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fifth Class (28 December 1893)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (4 April 1914; Third Class: 16 June 1896)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers (7 September 1920)
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (4 November 1921; posthumous)
Foreign
- Belgium: Commander of the Order of Leopold (7 July 1888)
- Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (26 October 1896)
References
- ISBN 9780824818197.
- ^ "Nakaoka". Sioux City Journal. 1922-06-13. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
Bibliography
- Najita, Tetsuo: Hara Kei in the Politics of Compromise 1905–1915. Harvard Univ. Press, 1967.
- Olson, L. A.: Hara Kei – A Political Biography. Ph.D.diss. Harvard University, 1954.
- Duus, Peter: Party Rivalry and Political Change in Taisho Japan. Cambridge/Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1968.