Keigo Kiyoura

A bureaucrat and politician from the Meiji to Taisho periods. A count. Born on February 14, 1850, to a family of Buddhist monks in Kutami, Kamoto County, Higo Province (Kumamoto Prefecture). He studied Chinese classics at Kan'i-en (founded by Hirose Tanso) in Hita, Bungo (Oita Prefecture). He went to Saitama Prefecture and served as an elementary school principal and prefectural official before joining the Ministry of Justice. He was involved in drafting the Criminal Justice Act. He served as Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Director of the Police and Security Bureau, and Vice Minister of Justice. During his time as Director of the Police and Security Bureau in 1887 (Meiji 20), he participated in the revision of the Publication Ordinance and Newspaper Ordinance, and the establishment of the Security Ordinance, under Home Minister Yamagata Aritomo. He was a central figure among the Yamagata-affiliated bureaucrat-politicians, and later served as Minister of Justice in the second Matsukata Masayoshi and second Yamagata Cabinets, and Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, Minister of Justice, and Minister of the Interior in the first Katsura Taro Cabinet. He also led the Kenkyukai, an influential faction in the House of Peers, as an imperially appointed member for 15 years, and maintained great influence there. In 1906 (Meiji 39), he became a Privy Councilor, and after serving as its Vice-Chairman, he became President of the Privy Council after Yamagata's death in 1922 (Taisho 11). During that time, in 1914, after the resignation of the first Yamamoto Gonbei Cabinet, he was given the imperial command to form a cabinet, but declined due to opposition from the Navy. In January 1924, he was once again ordered to form a cabinet, which he organized based on the power of the House of Peers, but he was hit hard by the movement to overthrow the cabinet led by the three pro-constitution factions, the Kenseikai (Constitutional Government Association), the Rikken Seiyukai (Friends of Constitutional Government Association), and the Kakushin Club (Reform Club), and was defeated in the House of Representatives election. He resigned in June of the same year and retired from the front line of politics. He died on November 5, 1942.

[Yasushi Toriumi]

"Masaaki Inoue (ed.), "The Life of Count Kiyoura Keigo" (1935, Dosho Kankokai) " "Takashi Mikuriya (ed.), "Biographies of Prime Ministers of Japan Series 14: Kiyoura Keigo" (2006, Yumani Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治～大正期の官僚政治家。伯爵。嘉永(かえい)3年2月14日、肥後(ひご)国（熊本県）鹿本(かもと)郡来民(くたみ)の僧侶(そうりょ)の家に生まれる。豊後(ぶんご)（大分県）日田(ひた)の咸宜園(かんぎえん)（広瀬淡窓(ひろせたんそう)の創立）で漢学を学ぶ。埼玉県に赴き小学校長、県吏員を経て司法省に出仕。治罪法の起草などにあたる。内務省大書記官、警保局長、司法次官などを歴任。警保局長時代の1887年（明治20）には山県有朋(やまがたありとも)内務大臣のもとで出版条例・新聞紙条例の改正、保安条例の制定に参画した。山県系官僚政治家の中心人物で、その後、第二次松方正義(まつかたまさよし)、第二次山県内閣の法相、第一次桂太郎(かつらたろう)内閣の農商務相、法相、内相を務め、また、15年にわたり貴族院の勅選議員として同院の有力会派たる研究会を指導し、大きな勢力を保った。1906年（明治39）枢密顧問官となり、副議長を経て、1922年（大正11）山県の死後を受けて枢密院議長となった。その間、1914年には第一次山本権兵衛(やまもとごんべえ)内閣退陣後、組閣の大命を受けたが海軍の反対によって辞退。1924年1月ふたたび組閣の大命を受け、貴族院の勢力を基礎に内閣を組織したが、憲政会、立憲政友会、革新倶楽部(くらぶ)の護憲三派による倒閣運動の矢面にたたされ、衆議院議員選挙に敗北して、同年6月総辞職、政界の第一線を退いた。昭和17年11月5日死去。

［鳥海　靖］

『井上正明編『伯爵清浦奎吾伝』（1935・同書刊行会）』▽『御厨貴監修『歴代総理大臣伝記叢書14　清浦奎吾』（2006・ゆまに書房）』

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