Story Highlights
- historical event:
- Itō Hirobumi was born to a samurai family southwest of Hiroshima, on the south of the largest Japanese island, Honshu. As Prime Minister, he formed a cabinet government with ministers, based on the Western model. In 1907, he received the title of Prince – the highest in the Japanese system of nobility.
Japanese prince Itō Hirobumi – the first Prime Minister in the history of Japan – was killed on this day. The office of Prime Minister was introduced in Japan only in 1885, during the time of Emperor Mutsuhito (also known as Meiji). The emperor abolished the Shogunate – Japan was ruled by military governors known as Shoguns for centuries before him. After taking power, Mutsuhito introduced the office of Prime Minister, based on the Western model. Of course, this office still exists in modern Japan, and the person who holds the office also has supreme executive powers in the country (the emperor is merely the ceremonial head of state).
Itō Hirobumi was born to a samurai family southwest of Hiroshima, on the south of the largest Japanese island, Honshu. He was educated in England, at the University College in London. He was an important advocate of introducing Western models into Japan. As Prime Minister, he formed a cabinet government with ministers, also based on the Western model.
As Prime Minister, Hirobumi led the Imperial Japanese government in four temporally separate mandates. He traveled throughout the USA, the Russian Empire, Germany, Britain, and France. After the Japanese conquered Korea, Hirobumi was appointed the Japanese Resident-General in Korea (a position similar to that of a colonial governor). In 1907, he received the title of Prince – the highest in the Japanese system of nobility.
On this day Hirobumi was assassinated in Manchuria by a Korean nationalist. Hirobumi had come there in order to meet with the Russian minister Count Vladimir Kokovtsov.
