Kunisuke Okazaki

A political party politician from the Meiji to Taisho eras. Born in the Wakayama Domain. He served in the Ministry of Finance with the help of his cousin Mutsu Munemitsu, then transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Justice. In 1878 (Meiji 11), he became the police chief of Shingu and then the Wakayama police chief. In 1888, he accompanied Mutsu to the United States as the Japanese envoy to the United States and studied at the University of Michigan. In 1891, he ran for the Wakayama Diet and founded the Kishu-gumi in order to support Mutsu's political activities. In 1897, he joined the Liberal Party and then participated in the formation of the Constitutional Party, but together with Hoshi Toru, he plotted to split the Kuma-Itaru Cabinet and worked hard to get the Constitutional Party to cooperate with the second Yamagata Aritomo Cabinet after the split. He participated in the founding of the Rikken Seiyukai Party in 1900 (Meiji 33), and served as Chief Cabinet Secretary under Minister of Communications Hoshi in the fourth Ito Hirobumi cabinet. After Hoshi's death in 1901, he devoted himself to being a director of the Furukawa General Partnership Company, and was involved in dealing with the problem of mineral pollution at the Ashio Mine. In 1908, he became a member of parliament again, and was active in representing the Seiyukai Party in the first movement to protect the constitution. He briefly founded the Seiyukai Club with Ozaki Yukio and others, but eventually returned to the party, and throughout the Taisho era, he served as a senior member of the party, helping its presidents Hara Takashi and Takahashi Korekiyo, and playing a central role within the party. In 1924 (Taisho 13), he worked hard to form three factions to protect the constitution, and contributed to the passage of the Universal Suffrage Law the following year. In the same year, he became Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the Kato Takaaki cabinet, but resigned soon after when the three-faction cabinet collapsed. With the implementation of the Universal Suffrage Act in 1928, he announced his retirement from politics, and was appointed to the House of Peers by Imperial decree in the same year. He was regarded as a strategist because he showed talent behind the scenes in the political world.

[Uno Shunichi]

"The Life of Okazaki Kunisuke" by Hirano Mineo (1938, Bankokai)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治～大正時代の政党政治家。和歌山藩出身。従兄(いとこ)の陸奥宗光(むつむねみつ)を頼って大蔵省に出仕、内務、司法省に転じ、1878年（明治11）新宮(しんぐう)警察署長、さらに和歌山署長を経て、1888年陸奥の駐米公使赴任に従って渡米、ミシガン大学に学んだ。陸奥の政治活動を支援するため1891年和歌山から代議士に出馬、紀州組をつくった。1897年自由党に入党、ついで憲政党結成に参加したが、星亨(ほしとおる)とともに隈板(わいはん)内閣の分裂を策し、分裂後の憲政党を第二次山県有朋(やまがたありとも)内閣と提携させるため尽力。1900年（明治33）立憲政友会の創立に参加、第四次伊藤博文(ひろぶみ)内閣では星逓信(ていしん)大臣の下で官房長を務めた。1901年の星死後は古河合名会社の理事に専念、足尾鉱山の鉱毒問題処理などにあたった。1908年ふたたび代議士となり、第一次護憲運動では政友会を代表して活躍、一時尾崎行雄らと政友倶楽部(くらぶ)をつくったが、やがて政友会に復帰、大正時代を通じてその幹部として総裁原敬(はらたかし)、高橋是清(これきよ)を助け、党内の取りまとめ役を務めた。1924年（大正13）護憲三派結成に尽力、翌年の普通選挙法成立にも寄与した。同年加藤高明内閣の農林大臣に就任したが、三派内閣の瓦解(がかい)でまもなく辞任。1928年（昭和3）普選法実施を機に政界引退を宣言、同年貴族院議員に勅選された。政界の裏面での活躍に才能を発揮したため策士と目された。

［宇野俊一］

『平野嶺夫著『岡崎邦輔伝』（1938・晩香会）』

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