- Fukuoka Takachika
nihongo|Fukuoka Takachika|福岡孝弟 (
5 February 1835 –7 March 1919 ) was a Japanese statesman of theMeiji period .Early life
Fukuoka was born in Tosa District in present-day
Kochi Prefecture , and served the Yamauchidaimyo of Tosa as a domain official. Together with fellow Tosasamurai Goto Shojiro , he went toKyoto in 1867 to convinceShogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return power peacefully to the Emperor, thus bringing about theMeiji Restoration .Meiji statesman
After the Meiji Restoration, while serving as a "san'yo" (senior councillor), he helped draft the text of the
Charter Oath which set the tone and direction for the newMeiji government . In the new government, he concurrently served in a variety of offices, including Political system Affairs Officer and Parliament System Examination Officer. It was in this capacity that he was afterwards, asked to help draft the "Seitaisho ," which setup the organizational structure of the earlyMeiji government .In 1870, he was transferred back to Kochi and focused on the reforms of domain's administration, just prior to the
abolition of the han system .In 1872, he re-entered the central government as Taifu (Senior Vice Minister) of Education and of Justice, but resigned in 1873 due to his opposition to the government policy with regards to the "
Seikanron " debate on the invasion ofKorea In 1880, he returned to the government as a member of the "
Genroin " and later served as Minister of Education, "Sangi" (Councillor), chairman of the "Sanjiin" (legislative advisory council).He also served as and as a Privy Councilor. In 1884, he was elevated to the rank of "shishaku" (
viscount ).Further reading
* Beasley, W. G. "The Rise of Modern Japan: Political, Economic and Social Change Since 1850." St. Martin's Press, New York 1995.
* Jansen, Marius B. and Gilbert Rozman, eds. "Japan in Transition: From Tokugawa to Meiji." Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986.
* Keane, Donald. "Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852-1912". Columbia University Press (2005). ISBN 0-231-12341-8
* Koyama, Noboru. "Japanese Students at Cambridge University in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912: Pioneers for the Modernization of Japan". Lulu.com (2004). ISBN 1-4116-1256-6
* Totten, George O. (compiled by). "Democracy in Prewar Japan: Groundwork or Facade?".D.C. Heath and Company , Boston (1966).External links
* [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/184.html?c=0 National Diet Library biography & photo]
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