Ito Hirobumi

The first Prime Minister and drafter of the Meiji Constitution, who drove the Treaty of Shimonoseki and Japan's control over Korea and was ultimately assassinated by a Korean patriot.

Life

Choshu youth

Ito Hirobumi was born into a peasant family of the Choshu Domain, studied under Yoshida Shoin at the Shoka Sonjuku, and in 1863 went secretly to study in Britain.

First prime minister and the constitution

After the Restoration he became Okubo Toshimichi's successor. In 1885 he created the cabinet system and became the first Prime Minister, later forming four more cabinets. He oversaw the drafting of the Prussian-modeled Constitution of the Empire of Japan (1889) and founded the Rikken Seiyukai. After the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, as plenipotentiary he signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki with Li Hongzhang, forcing the Qing government to cede Taiwan and pay an indemnity of 200 million taels of silver.

Shimonoseki and Korea

After the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 he forced Korea to sign the Eulsa Treaty, became the first Resident-General of Korea, and pushed for its annexation. In 1909 he was assassinated at Harbin railway station by An Jung-geun, an activist of the Korean independence movement.

Legacy

In Japan, Ito Hirobumi is regarded as the architect of the modern state; in China and Korea he is a symbol of aggression, and An Jung-geun, who assassinated him, is honored as a national hero by both South Korea and North Korea.

Major works & achievements

• Constitution of the Empire of Japan

Did you know? His portrait once appeared on Japan's 1,000-yen note.

Key dates

• 1863Went secretly to study in Britain
• 1885Became the first Prime Minister
• 1889Constitution of the Empire of Japan promulgated
• 1895Signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki
• 1905Became Resident-General of Korea
• 1909Assassinated by An Jung-geun in Harbin