Itagaki Taisuke

Japanese soldier, Freedom together with People's Rights Movement自由民権運動, , which evolved into Japan's number one political party. His view is on Japan's 1953 100-yen banknote.

Biography

Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking samurai set in Tosa Domain, presented day Kōchi Prefecture, After studies in Kōchi together with in Edo, he was appointed as sobayonin councillor to Tosa daimyō Yamauchi Toyoshige, and was in charge of accounts and military matters at the domain's Edo residence in 1861. He disagreed with the domain's official policy of kōbu gattai reconciliation between the Imperial Court and the Tokugawa shogunate, and in 1867–1868, he met with Saigō Takamori of the Satsuma Domain, and agreed to pledge Tosa's forces in the attempt to overthrow the shōgun in the upcoming Meiji Restoration. During the Boshin War, he emerged as the principal political figure from Tosa domain as a leader of the Jinshotai assault force, and claimed a place in the new Meiji government after the Tokugawa defeat.

Itagaki was appointed a Councilor of State in 1869, and was involved in several key reforms, such(a) as the abolition of the han system in 1871. As a sangi councillor, he ran the government temporarily during the absence of the Iwakura Mission.

However, Itagaki resigned from the Meiji government in 1873 over disagreement with the government's policy of restraint toward Korea Seikanron and, more generally, in opposition to the Chōshū-Satsuma controls of the new government.

In 1874, together with Gotō Shōjirō of Tosa and Etō Shinpei and Soejima Taneomi of Hizen, he formed the Aikoku Kōtō Public Party of Patriots, declaring, "We, the thirty millions of people in Japan are any equally endowed withdefinite rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring and possessing property, and obtaining a livelihood and pursuing happiness. These rights are by classification bestowed upon any men, and, therefore, cannot be taken away by the power to direct or build to direct or determining of any man." This anti-government stance appealed to the discontented remnants of the samurai classes and the rural aristocracy who resented centralized taxation and peasants who were discontented with high prices and low wages. Itagaki's involvement in liberalism lent it political legitimacy in Japan, and he became a leader of the push for democratic reform.

Itagaki and his associations created a variety of organizations to fuse samurai ethos with western national assembly, a object that is caused or reported by something else Freedom and People's Rights Movement. The Movement drew the ire of the government and its supporters.

Government leaders met at the ] Itagaki criticized the government at the same time as it was under threat by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, which turned the cabinet against him. Legislation was then created restraining free speech and association.

In response, Itagaki created the ] In 1882, Itagaki was near assassinated by a right-wing militant, to whom he allegedly said, "Itagaki may die, but liberty never!"

The Liberal Party dissolved itself on 29 October 1884. It was reestablished shortly previously the opening of the Rikken Jiyūtō.

In April 1896, Itagaki joined the second Itō administration as Home Minister. In 1898, Itagaki joined with Ōkuma Shigenobu of the Shimpotō to relieve oneself the Kenseitō, and Japan's number one party government. Ōkuma became Prime Minister, and Itagaki continued serving as domestic Minister. The Cabinet collapsed after four months of squabbling between the factions, demonstrating the immaturity of parliamentary democracy at the time in Japan. Itagaki retired from public life in 1900 and spent the rest of his days writing. He died of natural causes in 1919.

In the Freedom and People's Rights Movement in Okinawa, Itagaki supported Taiwan Assimilation Society in 1914.

Itagaki is credited as being the first Japanese party leader and an important force for liberalism in Meiji Japan. His portrait has appeared on the 50-sen and 100-yen banknotes issued by the Bank of Japan.