Viscount was a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as foreign minister during the Meiji era.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Aoki Shūzō" in .
Early life
Aoki was born to a samurai family as the son of the domain physician of Chōshū, in what is now part of San'yō-Onoda in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He studied western science and medicine (rangaku) at the domain school Meirinkan in Hagi, and in Nagasaki.
He was then sent to Germany by the Chōshū Domain to study western law in 1868. However, while in Germany, his studies ranged over a very wide area, from western medicine, to politics, military science, and economics. From his surviving notes, he studied how to make beer, paper and paper money, carpets and rugs and techniques of western forestry management.
Career Aoki returned to Japan after the Meiji Restoration, and entered the Foreign Ministry of the new Meiji government in 1873, as First Secretary to the Japanese legations to Germany, Netherlands and Austria-Hungary. He then served as Vice Foreign Minister in the First Itō Cabinet and Foreign Minister in the First Yamagata Cabinet.
Foreign minister (first) While foreign minister, he strove for the revision of the unequal treaties between the Empire of Japan and the various European powers, particularly the extraterritoriality clauses, and expressed concern over the eastern expansion of the Russian Empire into east Asia. Aoki was forced to resign as a consequence of the Ōtsu Incident of 1891, but resumed his post as Foreign Minister under the Matsukata administration.
During his time as minister, Viscount Aoki was instrumental in the development of the internal program for Transfers of technology and advice on systems and cultural ways. By the hand of Aoki, over a dozen of specialized western professionals were brought to Japan in 1887, not only at a governmental level but also into the private sector. Amongst these so called "O-yatoi gaikokujin" were prominent figures including W. K. Burton, Ottmar von Mohl, Albert Favre Zanuti, Henry Spencer Palmer, Hermann Ende, Wilhelm Böckmann, Rudolf Dittrich and Ludwig Riess.
Ambassador to the United Kingdom In 1894, as ambassador to Great Britain, Aoki worked with Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu towards the revision of the unequal treaties, successfully concluding the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation for Japan in London on 16 July 1894.
Foreign minister (second) Returned to his post as foreign minister under the second Yamagata administration, Aoki helped Japan gain recognition as one of the Great Powers by its military support of the European forces during the Boxer Rebellion.
Aoki was then appointed to the Privy Council and elevated in title to shishaku (viscount).
Ambassador to the United States In 1906, he was appointed ambassador to the United States. In 1908, Aoki protested to President Theodore Roosevelt to stop racial hostility against Japanese immigrants in California, there were anti-Asian groups and bills that discriminated against the Japanese, which included segregation of Japanese children in schools. Californians did not want Japanese immigrants to dominate the state's agricultural economy, as the Japanese bought their own land and refused to work for white Californians. Aoki negotiated with Roosevelt and reached an agreement to restrict passports, deport some Japanese, and withdraw anti-alien bills. Although this did not stop the immigration of the Japanese or future discriminatory legislation, it did reduce diplomatic hostility.
Personal life
On 20 April 1877, Aoki married Elisabeth von Rhade (1849–1931) in Bremen. Elisabeth, the daughter of a Prussian aristocrat, was born in Strippow, Pomerania, Prussia, Germany. Together, they had one daughter:
Viscountess Aoki Hanna (Hanako) (16 December 1879 – 24 June 1953), who married Alexander Maria Hermann Melchior, Count von Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg (1877–1953), the second son of Prince Hermann von Hatzfeldt, in Tokyo, on 19 December 1904.
Aoki died of complications following Pneumonia in 1914 at his home in Kōjimachi, Tokyo.Japan Times, Weekly Edition. Volume 34 (1913), p. 885. His grave is at Nasu, Tochigi. His widow died on 5 April 1931 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
Descendants Through his daughter, he was a grandfather of Countess Hissa Elisabeth Natalie Olga Ilsa von Hatzfeldt zu Trachenberg (26 February 1906 – 4 June 1985), who married Count Maria Erwin Joseph Sidonius Benediktus Franziskus von Sales Petrus Friedrich Ignatius Hubertus Johannes von Nepomuk Felix Maurus von Neipperg (a great-grandson of Austrian general Adam Albert von Neipperg) in Munich in 1927. Erwin and Hissa had four children, but now extinct in the male line. Hissa's daughter Countess Maria Hedwig Gabrielle Nathalie Benedicta Lioba Laurentia von Neipperg (born 10 August 1929) married Sir Anthony Williams, the British ambassador to Argentina during the Falklands War.
Morihisa Aoki (born 23 November 1938), Japanese ambassador to Peru during the Japanese embassy hostage crisis was his adopted great-grandson.
Aoki villa In 1888 Aoki commissioned an architect and friend from Berlin times, Matsugasaki Tsumunaga (1858–1921), to build him a villa as resort in Nasu highlands. This villa was costly restored in recent years and entered the list of Important Cultural Properties of Japan.See Japanese link of this page Matsugasaki won Aoki as first president of the newly established Society of Japanese Architects in 1888.see Okada
Awards and decorations
Japanese Peerages and titles Viscount (9 May 1887)"Kanpo" No. 1156 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 10 May 1887.
Court ranks Senior Sixth Rank (15 November 1873) Junior Fourth Rank (5 November 1874) Junior Third Rank (20 October 1886)"Kanpo" No. 994 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 21 October 1886. Junior Second Rank (7 February 1890)"Kanpo" No. 1982 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 10 February 1890. Senior Second Rank (16 February 1914; posthumous)"Kanpo" No. 465 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 18 February 1914.
Decorations Year awardedRibbonDecorationNotes6 February 1878Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class27 March 1880Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class25 November 1889Imperial Constitution Promulgation Medal"Kanpo" No. 1928 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 30 November 1889.30 June 1890Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st Class"Kanpo" No. 2100 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 1 July 1890.29 August 1894Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun"Kanpo" No. 3353 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 31 August 1894.1 August 1912Korean Annexation Commemorative Medal"Kanpo" Appendix to No. 251 "Appointments" (in Japanese) 2 June 1913.26 September 1913Imperial Cup with the Royal Crest"Kanpo" No. 350 "Imperial court records" (in Japanese) 27 September 1913.16 February 1914Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers(posthumous)
Foreign Year awardedCountryRibbonDecorationNotes26 February 1879 Kingdom of SaxonyGrand Cross of the Albert Order21 December 1880 German EmpireOrder of the Crown, Knight 1st Class21 December 1882 NetherlandsGrand Cross of the Netherlands Lion21 December 1882Grand Cross of the White Falcon25 December 1885 German EmpireOrder of the Red Eagle, Knight 1st Class"Kanpo" No. 748 "Decoration and Investiture" (in Japanese) 26 December 1885.25 December 1885 Saxe-Coburg-GothaGrand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order25 December 1885 MecklenburgGrand Cross of the Griffon27 September 1887 Kingdom of PortugalGrand Cross of the Order of Christ"Kanpo" No. 1278 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 30 September 1887.21 February 1888 Kingdom of SiamKnight Grand Cross of the Crown"Kanpo" No. 1393 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 24 February 1888.7 May 1889 Russian EmpireOrder of Saint Anna, 1st class"Kanpo" No. 1754 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 8 May 1889.27 May 1891 Ottoman EmpireOrder of the Medjidie, 1st Class"Kanpo" No. 2372 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 29 May 1891.17 August 1895 German EmpireGrand Cross of the Red Eagle"Kanpo" No. 3651 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 29 August 1895.17 August 1895 Kingdom of BavariaOrder of St. Michael, Knight 1st Class17 August 1895 Ottoman EmpireOrder of Osmanieh, 1st Class4 October 1897 German EmpireGrand Cross of the Red Eagle in Brilliants"Kanpo" No. 4282 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 8 October 1897.22 July 1902 DenmarkGrand Cross of the Dannebrog"Kanpo" No. 5718 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 26 July 1902.
See also List of Japanese ministers, envoys and ambassadors to Germany
Notes
References
Further reading Okada, Y.: Aoki Shūzō Nasu bessō. (The country house of Aoki Shūzō at Nasu) 1995 Auslin, Michael R. (2004). Negotiating with Imperialism: The Unequal Treaties and the Culture of Japanese Diplomacy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 56493769 Edström, Bert. Turning Points in Japanese History. RoutledgeCurzon (2002). Jansen, Marius B. (2000). The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 44090600 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128
External links
National Diet Library biography & photo The O-Yatoi Gaikokujin during the Meiji Era Foreign government advisors in Meiji Japan