Okuma shigenobu biography templates

Book Source:Digital Library of India Item 2015.503323

dc.contributor.author: Okuma Count Shigenobu Compiled Huish Marcus B.
dc.contributor.other: Smith Elder
dc.coverage.spatial: london
dc.date.accessioned: 2015-09-26T17:57:05Z
dc.date.available: 2015-09-26T17:57:05Z
dc.date.copyright: 1909
dc.date.citation: 1909
dc.identifier.barcode: 99999990247597
dc.identifier.origpath: /data4/upload/0100/401
dc.identifier.copyno: 1
dc.identifier.uri: http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/503323
dc.description: vii 616
dc.description.scanningcentre: UOD, Delhi
dc.description.main: 1
dc.description.tagged: 0
dc.description.totalpages: 622
dc.format.mimetype: application/pdf
dc.language.iso: Unknown
dc.publisher: Haig Biography
dc.relation: vol-ii
dc.rights: not available
dc.source.library: Central Library, Delhi University
dc.subject.classification: Political Science Japan
dc.subject.classification: Japan History
dc.subject.classification: Japan History Modern
dc.title: Fifty Years Of New Japan

Shigenobu Okuma (1838-1922) was a Japanese diplomat, government official and educator, who served as Prime Minister of Japan

Government policies

He was opposed to the Satsuma and Chosu Clan factions in the Meiji Restoration, pushing for constitutional government. He also opposed Takamori Saigo proposal for Korea: "to begin diplomatic relations with Korea in the hope that Korean refusal would precipitate a Japanese punitive expedition (this proposal is known as “Seikanron”), Ōkuma objected to this proposal on the grounds that domestic affairs should be given priority."

His Foreign Minister, Takaaki Kato, presented the Twenty-One Demands to China, over the objection of his conservative enemy, Aritomo Yamagata.

Education

He founded Waseda University.

Party politics

With Taisuke Itagaki, he cofounded the Kenseito (Constitutional Government Party) in 1898.

He had clashed with Aritomo Yamagata since the early Meiji days. When, in 1920, Yamagata opposed the marriage of Princess Nagako to Prince Hirohito, alleging she was genetically impure, Okuma said

As for Prince Yamagata, it is incumbent upon him to resign all the public office he holds, to say nothing of renouncing his treatment as a genro, so as to apologize to the emperor and to the nation. Otherwise, it would be impossible to placate the nation, which feels high resentment against his attitude.

References

Introduction

Okuma Shigenobu is a renowned figure in Japan’s political history and is famous for introducing the politics of modern democracy in his country. Shigenobu was born in 1838 and died in 1922, having served as the prime minister of Japan on two separate occasions, the first instance coming in 1898, and the second one in 1914. Other than being a politician with pioneering political views, Shigenobu was also actively involved in scholarship matters and he was the founder of Waseda University.

Shigenobu is also one of the founders of Rikken Kaishinto or the Progressive Party. During his final years, Okuma took a break from politics and briefly became marquees. It is hard to separate Shigenobu’s biographical information from his involvement in the Meiji government and his subsequent fallout with this regime. The renowned statesman was also an ardent supporter of the Western sciences and other outlying cultures. This paper is a biography of Okuma Shigenobu, the Japanese statesman, democracy advocate, and champion of academic freedom.

Early Life

Okuma hailed from Saga, a city that lies in the southwestern region of Japan and he was the first-born son of a Samurai father. As a child, Okuma received basic formal education but he later developed an unusual interest in Western studies. The would-be politician was mainly educated on a repertoire of Confucian literature and other Japanese works but the change for him came when he enrolled in an institution that focused on Dutch studies.

Consequently, he learned how to speak English, a language that had not yet gained prominence in Japan at the time. After learning English, he was able to read two major works that had a major impact on his future thinking, the Bible, and the American Declaration of Independence. When he was part of the loyalist party in Hizen, Okuma