Komura Jutaro

Japanese: 小村寿太郎 - こむら・じゅたろう

Year of death: November 26, 1911 (Meiji 44)
Year of birth: September 16, 1855 (October 26, 1855)
A Meiji-era diplomat and marquis. Son of Kobayashi Kanpei and Umeko, soldiers of the Obi Domain in Hyuga Province (Miyazaki Prefecture). His eldest son was Kobayashi Kin'ichi. In 1870, he majored in law at Daigaku Nanko as a student supported by the domain. In 1895, he was selected as one of the first students to study abroad at the Ministry of Education's expense and went to the United States, graduating from Harvard Law School. In 1898, he returned to Japan. He was employed by the Ministry of Justice and served as a judge, but in 1892, he was transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a junior clerk, and in 1896, he worked in the Translation Bureau. In 1906, he became director of the same bureau. During this time, influenced by fellow students studying abroad at the same time, such as Sugiura Jugo, he took a position on national sovereignty, and opposed the treaty revision negotiations conducted by Inoue Kaoru and Okuma Shigenobu. He became acquainted with Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu and became first secretary of the counselor's office at the Qing Dynasty embassy and charge d'affaires in 1901. When tensions between Japan and China rose in 1902, he advocated a hard-line stance. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, he became the Chief of the First Military and Civil Administration Office, where he developed close ties with high-ranking military officials. After handling the end of the war as Chief of the Political Affairs Bureau, he became a resident envoy when Queen Min was assassinated (1895), and as envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary concluded the Komura-Weber Agreement (1896), which mediated the Korean issue with Russia. In 1829, he became Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as envoy to the United States in 1831, Russia in 1833, and China in 1834. After the Conference of Envoys to the Boxer Rebellion (1900), he returned to Japan. He became Foreign Minister in the first Katsura Taro cabinet, and concluded the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902). He also developed "Komura diplomacy," which paved the way for the Russo-Japanese War. At the Portsmouth Peace Conference (1905), he became plenipotentiary and achieved a rapid end to the war, but he was the target of strong criticism from the people, who were drunk on victory in the war. After that, he tried to prevent the United States from advancing into Manchuria (northeastern China) while working to solidify Japan's foothold in the country. After serving as a Privy Councillor and Ambassador to Great Britain in 1939, he became Foreign Minister in the second Katsura Cabinet in 1941. He implemented the annexation of Korea (1910). At the same time, he succeeded in revising treaties (1911) and established tariff autonomy. As a representative figure of Japanese diplomacy in the Meiji period, he thoroughly pursued a realistic diplomatic course to establish a sphere of influence in the Far East for Japan. He resigned as Foreign Minister when the Cabinet changed in August 1944, and died of illness in the same year. <References> "Komura Diplomatic History" compiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and "Komura Jutaro" by Kuroki Yukichi

(Seiji Saito)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：明治44.11.26(1911)
生年：安政2.9.16(1855.10.26)
明治期の外交官。侯爵。日向国飫肥藩(宮崎県)の徒士小林寛平,梅子の子。長男は小林欣一。明治3(1870)年藩の貢進生として大学南校で法律を専攻。8年に文部省貸費留学第1回生に選抜されて渡米し,ハーバード大法律学部を卒業する。13年帰国。司法省雇となり判事を勤めるが,17年に外務省権少書記官に転じ,18年から翻訳局勤務。21年同局長に就任。この間同期留学仲間の杉浦重剛らの影響で国権論の立場に立ち,井上馨,大隈重信の条約改正交渉に反対する。陸奥宗光外相の知遇を得て26年清国公使館参事官1等書記官,臨時代理公使となる。27年日清間の緊張が高まると強硬論を唱えた。日清開戦後は第1軍管民政庁長官となり軍人高官とも親交を深める。政務局長として終戦処理に当たったのち,閔妃殺害事件(1895)に際しては弁理公使となって善後策を講じ,特命全権公使としてロシアとの間で朝鮮問題を調整した小村・ウェーバー協定(1896)を結ぶ。29年外務次官就任。31年アメリカ,33年ロシア,34年清国の各公使を務める。義和団事件(1900)に関する列国公使会議ののち帰国。第1次桂太郎内閣の外相となり日英同盟(1902)を締結。また,日露戦争への道を進める「小村外交」を展開。ポーツマス講和会議(1905)では全権となって早期終戦を実現したが,戦勝に酔う国民の強い非難の的となった。その後はアメリカの満州(中国東北部)進出を阻止しつつ日本の満州での足場固めに努める。39年枢密顧問官・イギリス大使を経て,41年より第2次桂内閣外相。韓国併合(1910)を実施する。同時に条約改正(1911)にも成功し関税自主権を確立した。明治期の日本外交を代表する人物として,その道程は極東の日本勢力圏化のための現実的な外交路線を徹底して追求するものであった。44年8月の内閣交替で外相を辞め,同年病没。<参考文献>外務省編『小村外交史』,黒木勇吉『小村寿太郎』

(斎藤聖二)

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