Aoki Shūzō

Viscount was a Japanese diplomat in the Meiji and Taishō eras.

Biography

Viscount Aoki was born to a "samurai" family as son of the Chōshū domain's physician in domain (present day Sanyō Onoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture). He studied western science and medicine ("rangaku") at the clan school Meirinkan in Hagi, and in Nagasaki, He was then sent by Chōshū domain to Germany to study western law in 1868. However, while in Germany, his studies ranged over a very wide area, from medicine, to politics, military science, and economics. From his surviving notes, he studied on how to make beer, paper and paper money, carpets and rugs and techniques of western forestry management. His also chose to marry a German lady.

He returned after the Meiji Restoration, and entered the Foreign Ministry of new Meiji government in 1873 as First Secretary to the Japanese legations to Germany, Netherlands and Austria. He then served as Vice Foreign Minister in the 1st Itoh administration and Foreign Minister in the 1st Yamagata Aritomo administration. While Foreign Minister, he strove to revise the unequal treaties, particularly the extraterritoriality clauses, and expressed concern over the eastern expansion of the Russian Empire into east Asia.

He married the daughter of a German Aristocrat, Elisabeth von Rhade, and they had among others a daughter named Hanna Aoki (Tokyo, 16 December 1879 – Wissen, 24 June 1953), who married at Tokyo 19 December 1904 Alexander Maria Hermann Melchior, Graf von Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg (Berlin, 10 February 1877 – Schloss Schönstein, 27 November 1953) and had an only daughter Hissa Elisabeth Natalie Olga Ilsa Gräfin von Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg (Pommerswitz, 26 February 1906 – Salzburg, 4 June 1985), who married at Munich, 28 April 1927 Maria "Erwin" Joseph Sidonius Benediktus Franziskus von Sales Petrus Friedrich Ignatius Hubertus Johannes von Nepomuk Felix Maurus Graf von Neipperg (Schwaigern, 15 January 1897 – Stuttgart-Vaihingen, 5 December 1957), and had issue now extinct in male line.

He was forced to resign as a consequence of the Otsu Scandal of 1891, but resumed his post as Foreign Minister under the Matsukata Masayoshi cabinet.

In 1894, as ambassador to Great Britain, he worked with Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu towards the revision of the unequal treaties. He signed the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation for Japan in London on 16 July 1894.

Returned to his post as Foreign Minister under the 2nd Yamagata administration, he helped Japan gain recognition as one of the Great Powers by Japan's actions in the Boxer Rebellion.

He was then appointed to the Privy Council and elevated in title to "shishaku" (viscount).

In 1906, he served as ambassador to the United States.

He died at his house in Germany.

Aoki Morihisa, Japanese ambassador to Peru during the Japanese embassy hostage crisis is his great grandson.

ee also

*Anglo-Japanese relations

References

* Auslin, Michael R. "Negotiating with Imperialism: The Unequal Treaties and the Culture of Japanese Diplomacy". Harvard University Press;(2006) ISBN 0674022270
* Edström, Bert. "Turning Points in Japanese History". RoutledgeCurzon (2002). ISBN 1903350050
* Jansen, Marius B. "The Making of Modern Japan". Belknap Press; New Ed edition (2002). ISBN 0674009916

External links

* [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/1.html?c=4 National Diet Library biography & photo ]