Katō Tomosaburō
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Katō.
| ’Viscount Katō Tomosaburō’ | |
|---|---|
| 22 February 1861- 24 August 1923[1] | |
 Japanese Admiral Viscount Katō Tomosaburō |
|
| Place of birth | Hiroshima,Aki Province, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1873 - 1923 |
| Rank | Fleet Admiral |
| Commands held | Combined Fleet |
| Battles/wars | First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War oBattle of Tsushima |
| Awards | Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum |
| Other work | Navy Minister Prime Minister of Japan |
Katō Tomosaburō (加藤友三郎? 22 February 1861 – 24 August 1923) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the 21st Prime Minister of Japan from 12 June 1922 to 24 August 1923.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Hiroshima,Aki Province (modern Hiroshima Prefecture) to a samurai family, Katō enrolled in the 7th class Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and graduated 2nd out of a class of 30 cadets. He specialized in both in naval artillery and in navigation.
[edit] Naval career
After his commissioning as lieutenant, Katō served on the corvette Tsukuba in 1887, followed by the cruiser Takachiho. During the First Sino-Japanese War, he served in a combat position as gunnery officer on the cruiser Yoshino. After the end of the war, he served in numerous staff positions before promotion to commander. He was executive officer on the battleship Yashima, and captain of the gunboat Tsukushi. He was promoted to rear admiral on 1 September 1904.
During the Russo-Japanese War, Katō served as chief of staff to Admiral Togo Heihachiro on the battleship Mikasa, assisting in Japan's victory at the Battle of Tsushima. It is said that during this time he suffered from a very weak stomach, and was vomiting as he issued orders throughout the battle, despite having taken large amounts of medication.
Katō became Vice Minister of the Navy in 1906, and was promoted to vice admiral 28 August 1908. In 1909, he was appointed commander of the Kure Naval District, and in 1913 became Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet.
Katō became Minister of the Navy in August 1915, days before his promotion to full admiral on 28 August 1915. He served in this post in the cabinets of Okuma Shigenobu, Terauchi Masatake, Hara Takashi, and Takahashi Korekiyo. Under Hara and Takahashi, Katō was Japan's chief commissioner plenipotentiary to the Washington Naval Conference, and worked with Ambassador Shidehara Kijuro in the negotiations that led to the Five-Power Treaty.
[edit] As Prime Minister
Following his return to Japan, Katō was appointed 21st Prime Minister of Japan in recognition of his performance at the Washington Naval Conference. His cabinet consisted mainly of bureaucrats and members of the House of Peers, which proved unpopular with the Imperial Japanese Army. During his tenure as prime minister, Katō implemented the provisions of the Washington Naval Agreement, withdrew Japanese forces from Shantung in China and from Siberia. Katō succumbed to late-stage colon cancer and died a little over a year into his term.
Katō was given the honorary rank of Fleet Admiral the day before his death, and posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum and his title raised to shishaku (viscount).
His death came immediately before the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and therefore Japan was without a prime minister during that disaster.
Katō's grave is at Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo.
[edit] References
[edit] Books
- Agawa, Hiroyuki (2000). The Reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Imperial. Kodansha International. ISBN 4-7700-2539-4.
- Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-85043-569-3.
[edit] External links
- Nishida, Hiroshi. Kato Tomosaburo. Imperial Japanese Navy. Retrieved on 2007-08-03.
- National Diet Library photos and biography
[edit] Notes
- ^ Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy
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| Preceded by Yashiro Rokurō |
Minister of the Navy of Japan Aug 1915 - Oct 1921 |
Succeeded by Hara Kei (acting) |
| Preceded by Takahashi Korekiyo (acting) |
Minister of the Navy of Japan Mar 1922 – May 1923 |
Succeeded by Takarabe Takeshi |
