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{{Short description|Japanese general and politician (1848–1913)}}
{{family name hatnote|Katsura|lang=Japanese}}
{{more footnotes|date=July 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = [[Junior First Rank]]<br />[[Kazoku|Prince]]
| honorific-suffix    = [[Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum|CSOC]] [[Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum|GCSOC]]
| name                = Katsura Tarō
| native_name         = {{nobold|桂 太郎}}
| native_name_lang    = ja
| image               = 11 KatsuraT.jpg
| caption             = 
| office              = [[Prime Minister of Japan]]
| monarch             = [[Emperor Taishō|Taishō]]
| term_start          = 21 December 1912
| term_end            = 20 February 1913
| predecessor         = [[Saionji Kinmochi]]
| successor           = [[Yamamoto Gonnohyōe]]
| monarch1            = [[Emperor Meiji|Meiji]]
| term_start1         = 14 July 1908
| term_end1           = 30 August 1911
| predecessor1        = Saionji Kinmochi
| successor1          = Saionji Kinmochi
| monarch2            = Meiji
| term_start2         = 2 June 1901
| term_end2           = 7 January 1906
| predecessor2        = [[Itō Hirobumi]]<br>Saionji Kinmochi (acting)
| successor2          = Saionji Kinmochi
| office3             = [[Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal]]
| monarch3            = Taishō
| term_start3         = 21 August 1912
| term_end3           = 21 December 1912
| predecessor3        = [[Tokudaiji Sanetsune]]
| successor3          = [[Prince Fushimi Sadanaru]]
{{collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes | Ministerial offices |titlestyle       = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}
{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office4             = [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| primeminister4      = ''Himself''
| term_start4         = 21 December 1912
| term_end4           = 29 January 1913
| predecessor4        = [[Uchida Kōsai]]
| successor4          = [[Katō Takaaki]]
| office5             = [[Minister of Finance (Japan)|Minister of Finance]]
| primeminister5      = ''Himself''
| term_start5         = 14 July 1908
| term_end5           = 30 August 1911
| predecessor5        = [[Matsuda Masahisa]]
| successor5          = [[Yamamoto Tatsuo]]
| office6             = [[Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture|Minister of Education]]
| primeminister6      = ''Himself''
| term_start6         = 14 December 1905
| term_end6           = 7 January 1906
| predecessor6        = [[Kubota Yuzuru]]
| successor6          = [[Saionji Kinmochi]] (acting)<br>[[Makino Nobuaki]]
| office7             = [[Home Ministry|Minister of Home Affairs]]
| primeminister7      = ''Himself''
| term_start7         = 22 October 1903
| term_end7           = 20 February 1904
| predecessor7        = [[Kodama Gentarō]]
| successor7          = [[Yoshikawa Akimasa]]
| office8             = [[Army Ministry|Minister of the Army]]
| primeminister8      = [[Itō Hirobumi]]<br>[[Ōkuma Shigenobu]]<br>[[Yamagata Aritomo]]<br>Itō Hirobumi
| term_start8         = 12 January 1898
| term_end8           = 23 December 1900
| predecessor8        = [[Takashima Tomonosuke]]
| successor8          = Kodama Gentarō
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| office9             = 2nd [[Governor-General of Taiwan]]
| monarch9            = [[Emperor Meiji|Meiji]]
| term_start9         = 2 June 1896
| term_end9           = 14 October 1896
| predecessor9        = [[Kabayama Sukenori]]
| successor9          = [[Nogi Maresuke]]
| office10            = Member of the [[House of Peers (Japan)|House of Peers]]
| term_start10        = 21 April 1911
| term_end10          = 11 October 1913
| term_start11        = 21 September 1907
| term_end11          = 20 April 1911
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1848|1|4|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Hagi, Yamaguchi|Hagi]], [[Nagato Province|Nagato]], [[Tokugawa shogunate|Japan]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1913|10|10|1848|1|4|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Mita, Minato, Tokyo|Mita, Tokyo]], [[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
| death_cause         = [[Stomach cancer]]
| resting_place       = [[Shōin shrine]], Tokyo
| party               = [[Rikken Dōshikai]] (1913)
| otherparty          = [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] (1896–1913)
| spouse              = {{marriage|Katsura Kanako|1891}}
| profession          = Soldier and politician
| awards              = See [[#Decorations|Decorations]]
| signature           = KatsuraT kao.png
| nickname            = 
| allegiance          = {{flag|Empire of Japan}}
| branch              = {{army|Empire of Japan}}
| serviceyears        = 1870–1901
| rank                = [[File:帝國陸軍の階級―襟章―大将.svg|35px]] [[File:帝國陸軍の階級―肩章―大将.svg|35px]] [[General]]
| unit                = 
| commands            = [[IJA 3rd Division]]
| battles             = [[Boshin War]]<br>[[First Sino-Japanese War]]
| mawards             = 
}}
[[Prince]] {{nihongo|'''Katsura Tarō'''|桂 太郎||extra=4 January 1848{{snd}}10 October 1913}} was a Japanese statesman and general who served as [[Prime Minister of Japan|prime minister of Japan]] from 1901 to 1906, from 1908 to 1911, and from 1912 to 1913. He was a ''[[genrō]]'', or senior statesman who helped dictate policy during the [[Meiji era]], and is the [[List of prime ministers of Japan by time in office|second-longest serving]] Japanese prime minister after [[Shinzo Abe]], serving for a combined total of 7 years and 330 days.

Born in the [[Chōshū Domain|Choshu Domain]] to a [[samurai]] family, Katsura participated in the [[Boshin War]] that led to the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868. He spent several years studying [[military science]] in Germany, and became a protégé of [[Yamagata Aritomo]]. He distinguished himself in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]], then served as [[Governor-General of Taiwan|governor-general of Taiwan]] and later as minister of war from 1898 to 1901, when he was appointed prime minister. Katsura's relatively stable tenure saw Japan's victory in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] before he was forced to resign in 1906 [[Hibiya incendiary incident|amid public outrage]] at the government's failure to secure an [[indemnity]] from Russia. He returned as premier in 1908, and showed authoritarian tendencies in the crackdown on the [[High Treason Incident]] of 1910, which saw the mass arrest of leftists and which was followed by the establishment of the [[Special Higher Police]] in 1911. After [[Emperor Meiji]]'s death in 1912, Katsura became prime minister again, which triggered the [[Taisho Political Crisis]]. He resigned three months later after a [[vote of no confidence]].

==Early life==
Katsura was born on 4 January 1848 in [[Hagi, Yamaguchi|Hagi]], [[Nagato Province]] (present-day [[Yamaguchi Prefecture]]) as the eldest son of horse guard Katsura Yoichiemon into a [[samurai]] family of the [[Chōshū Domain]]. As a youth, Katsura joined the movement against the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] and participated in the [[Boshin War]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=明治宰相列伝 ： 桂太郎 {{!}} 国立公文書館|url=https://www.archives.go.jp/exhibition/digital/2007_01/taro_katsura/|access-date=2022-02-19|website=www.archives.go.jp}}</ref> that led to the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868.

==Army career==
The new [[Meiji government]] considered that Katsura displayed great talent, and in 1870 sent him to [[German Empire|Germany]] to study [[Military strategy|military science]]. He served as [[military attaché]] at the Japanese embassy in Germany from 1875 to 1878 and again from 1884 to 1885. On his return to Japan, he was promoted to [[major general]]. He served in several key positions within the [[Imperial Japanese Army]], and in 1886 was appointed [[Ministry of War of Japan|Vice-Minister of War]].<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Katsura, Taro, Marquess |volume=15 |page=697 |inline=1}}</ref>

During the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] (1894–1895) Katsura commanded the [[IJA 3rd Division]] under his mentor, Field Marshal [[Yamagata Aritomo]]. During the war, his division made a memorable march in the depth of winter from the north-east shore of the [[Yellow Sea]] to [[Haicheng, Liaoning|Haicheng]], finally occupying [[Niuchwang]], and effecting a junction with the [[Second Army (Japan)|IJA 2nd Army]] which had moved up the [[Liaodong Peninsula]].<ref name=EB1911/>

==Political career==
{{Infobox premiership
| image        = Prime Minister Count Katsura Tarō.jpg
| caption      = Katsura in 1901
| name         = Premiership of Katsura Tarō
| party        = {{Unbulleted list|[[Imperial Japanese Armed Forces|Military]] ([[Imperial Japanese Army|Army]])|(1901–1906; 1908–1911)|[[Independent politician|Independent]] (1912–1913)}}
| monarch      = {{Unbulleted list|[[Emperor Meiji]]|[[Emperor Taishō]]}}
| seat         = [[Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei]]
| constituency = 
| term_start1  = 2 June 1901
| term_end1    = 7 January 1906
| cabinet1     =[[First Katsura Cabinet]]
| election1    =  {{hlist|[[1902 Japanese general election|1902]]|[[1903 Japanese general election|1903]]|[[1904 Japanese general election|1904]]}}
| predecessor1 = ''[[Saionji Kinmochi#President of the Seiyukai and Prime Minister|Saionji Kinmochi]] (acting)''
| successor1   = [[Saionji Kinmochi#First premiership (1906–1908)|Saionji Kinmochi]]
| term_start2  = 14 July 1908
| term_end2    = 30 August 1911
| cabinet2     =[[Second Katsura Cabinet]]
| election2    = 
| predecessor2 = [[Saionji Kinmochi#First premiership (1906–1908)|Saionji Kinmochi]]
| successor2   = [[Saionji Kinmochi#Second premiership (1911–1912)|Saionji Kinmochi]]
| term_start3  = 21 December 1912
| term_end3    = 20 February 1913
| cabinet3     =[[Third Katsura Cabinet]]
| election3    = 
| predecessor3 = [[Saionji Kinmochi#Second premiership (1911–1912)|Saionji Kinmochi]]
| successor3   = [[Yamamoto Gonnohyōe#As Prime Minister|Yamamoto Gonnohyōe]]
| seal         = Emblem of the Government of Japan.svg
| seal_caption = Emblem of the Government of Japan
}}
After the war, he was elevated with the title of ''shishaku'' ([[viscount]]) under the ''[[kazoku]]'' peerage system.<ref name=EB1911/> He was appointed 2nd [[Governor-General of Taiwan]] from 2 June 1896, to October 1896.

In successive cabinets from 1898 to 1901, he served as [[Ministry of War of Japan|Minister of War]].

Katsura Tarō served as the 11th, 13th and 15th [[prime minister of Japan]]. His position as the longest-serving prime minister of Japan (total length) was surpassed by [[Shinzō Abe]] on 20 November 2019.

==First premiership (1901–1906)==
{{seealso|First Katsura Cabinet}}
Katsura became prime minister for the first time on 2 June 1901, and he retained the office for four and a half years to 7 January 1906, which was then a record in Japan.<ref name=EB1911/> Japan emerged as a major [[imperialist]] power in East Asia. In terms of foreign affairs, it was marked by the [[Anglo-Japanese Alliance]] of 1902 and victory over the [[Russian Empire]] in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905. During his first premiership, the [[Taft–Katsura agreement]], accepting Japanese hegemony over [[Korea]], was reached with the [[United States]]. Katsura received the Grand Cross of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] from King [[Edward VII]] of the [[United Kingdom]] and was elevated to the rank of [[marquess]] by [[Emperor Meiji]].<ref name=EB1911/>

In terms of domestic policy, Katsura was a strictly conservative politician who attempted to distance himself from the [[National Diet|Imperial Diet]] and party politics. His political views mirrored that of former prime minister [[Yamagata Aritomo]] in that he viewed that his sole responsibility was to the Emperor. He vied for control of the government with the ''[[Rikken Seiyūkai]]'', the majority party of the [[House of Representatives (Japan)|lower house]], headed by his archrival, [[Marquess]] [[Saionji Kinmochi]].

In January 1906, Katsura resigned the premiership to [[Saionji Kinmochi]] over the unpopular [[Treaty of Portsmouth]] (1905), ending the war between Japan and Russia. However, his resignation was part of a "back door deal," brokered by [[Hara Takashi]] to alternate power between Saionji and Hara.

On 1 April 1906, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]].

==Second premiership (1908–1911)==
{{seealso|Second Katsura Cabinet}}
[[File:Prince Katsura Tarō.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Katsura Tarō]]
Katsura returned as prime minister from 14 July 1908, to 30 August 1911. His second premiership was noteworthy for the [[Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty]] of 1910 to [[Korea under Japanese rule|colonize Korea]]. He also promulgated the Factory Act in 1911, the first act for the purpose of labor protection in Japan.

Katsura was increasingly unpopular during his second premiership over public perception that he was using his office to further both his personal fortune and the interests of the military ''([[gunbatsu]])'' over the welfare of the people. {{citation needed|date=August 2009}} He also faced growing public dissatisfaction over the persistence of the ''[[hanbatsu]]'' domainal based politics.

After his resignation, he became a ''kōshaku'' (公爵 = prince), [[Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan]] and one of the ''[[genrō]].''

==Third premiership (1912–1913)==
{{seealso|Third Katsura Cabinet}}
Katsura's brief reappointment as prime minister third time from 21 December 1912, to 20 February 1913, sparked widespread riots in what became known as the [[Taisho Political Crisis]]. His appointment was viewed as a plot by the ''genrō'' to overthrow the [[Meiji Constitution]]. However, rather than compromising, Katsura created his own political party, the ''[[Rikken Dōshikai]]'' (Constitutional Association of Allies) in an effort to establish his own support base after his third premiership. {{citation needed|date=August 2009}}

However, faced with a [[no-confidence motion]], the first successful one in Japanese history, and the loss of the support of his backers, he was forced to resign in February 1913. He was succeeded by [[Yamamoto Gonnohyōe]].<ref>{{Cite EB1922|title=Katsura, Taro|volume=31|page=676|url=https://archive.org/stream/encyclopaediabri31chisrich#page/676/mode/1up}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Taro Katsura funeral at Zojo-ji 1913.jpg|thumb|The funeral carriage leaving Katsura's residence en route to [[Zōjō-ji]] in October 1913]]
[[File:Grave of Katsura Tarō.jpg|thumb|Katsura's grave in Tokyo]]
Katsura died of [[stomach cancer]] eight months later on 10 October 1913, aged 65. His funeral was held at the temple of [[Zōjō-ji]] in [[Shiba, Tokyo]] and his grave is at the [[Shōin shrine|Shōin Jinja]], in [[Setagaya]].

==Honors==
''From the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia''
[[File:KatsuraTaroBronzeStatue.jpg|thumb|A bronze statue of Katsura Tarō on the top of the stairs of [[Takushoku University]] in [[Hachiōji]], Tokyo]]
[[File:Sasago tunnel memorial.jpg|thumb|A memorial stone that commemorates the opening of Sasago railway tunnel. The epigraph was written by Taro Katsura.]]

===Titles===
*Viscount (20 August 1895)
*Count (27 February 1902)<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Latest intelligence – Japan |date=28 February 1902 |page=3 |issue=36703}}</ref>
*Marquess (21 September 1907)
*Prince (21 April 1911)
*''[[Genrō]]'' (30 August 1911)

===Decorations===
====Japanese====
*Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Sacred Treasure]] (20 August 1895; Second Class: 11 May 1891)
*[[Order of the Golden Kite]], 3rd class (20 August 1895)
*Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] (27 December 1901; Third Class: 19 November 1885; Fourth Class: 26 May 1880)
*Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Paulownia Flowers]] (10 October 1913; posthumous)
*Collar of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]] (10 October 1913, Awarded a few hours before his death; Grand Cordon: 1 April 1906)

====Foreign====
* {{Flag|Russian Empire}}: 
** Knight of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Russian Empire)|Order of the White Eagle]] (1 May 1899)
** Knight of the [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky]] in Brilliants (11 November 1911)
* {{Flag|German Empire}}:
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Red Eagle]] (4 October 1906; Knight 1st Class: 3 February 1900)
** Knight of the [[Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown]] (19 September 1912)
** {{flagicon image|Flagge Herzogtum Braunschweig.svg}} [[Duchy of Brunswick]]: Knight 1st Class of the [[Order of Henry the Lion]] (1 July 1910)
* {{Flag|France}}: Grand Officer of the [[Legion d'Honneur]] (16 April 1901)
* {{Flag|United Kingdom}}: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] (GCB) (8 July 1905)<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27817/pages/4889| title = ''The London Gazette'', 14 July 1905}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Vatican City (2001–2023, 2-3).svg}} [[Holy See]]: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Pius IX]] (5 June 1906)
* {{flag|Korean Empire}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Golden Ruler]] (21 December 1907)
* {{flag|Qing dynasty}}: [[Order of the Double Dragon]], Class I Grade II (21 December 1907; Class I Grade III: 18 December 1899)

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book
|last = Lone
|first = Stewart
|year = 2000
|title = Army, Empire, and Politics in Meiji Japan: The Three Careers of General Katsura Taro
|publisher = [[Palgrave Macmillan]]
|isbn = 0-312-23289-6}}

==External links==
*{{wikiquote-inline}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Katsura Tarō}}
*{{PM20|FID=pe/009250}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Saionji Kinmochi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Japan]]|years=21 December 1912{{snd}}20 February 1913}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yamamoto Gonnohyōe]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tokudaiji Sanetsune]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal]]|years=21 August 1912{{snd}}21 December 1912}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Prince Fushimi Sadanaru]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Uchida Kosai]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Foreign Minister]]<small> (acting) </small>|years= 21 December 1912{{snd}}29 January 1913}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Katō Takaaki]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Saionji Kinmochi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Japan]]|years=14 July 1908{{snd}}30 August 1911}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Saionji Kinmochi]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Masahisa Matsuda]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Finance (Japan)|Finance Minister]]|years= 14 July 1908{{snd}}30 August 1911}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yamamoto Tatsuo (politician)|Yamamoto Tatsuo]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Yuzuru Kubota]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology|Minister of Education]]|years= 14 December 1905{{snd}}7 January 1906}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Saionji Kinmochi]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Kodama Gentarō]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Home Ministry (Japan)|Home Minister]]|years=12 October 1903{{snd}}20 February 1904}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yoshikawa Akimasa]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Itō Hirobumi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Japan]]|years=2 June 1901{{snd}}7 July 1906}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Saionji Kinmochi]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Takashima Tomonosuke]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of War of Japan|Minister of War]]|years=12 January 1898{{snd}}23 December 1900}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Kodama Gentarō]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Kabayama Sukenori]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor-General of Taiwan|Governor General of Taiwan]]|years=2 June 1896{{snd}}14 October 1896}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nogi Maresuke]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Prime Ministers of Japan}}
{{Japanese Governors of Taiwan}}
{{Japanese foreign ministers}}
{{Japanese finance ministers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katsura, Taro}}
[[Category:1848 births]]
[[Category:1913 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century prime ministers of Japan]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Japanese generals]]
[[Category:Kazoku]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Peers (Japan)]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Yamaguchi Prefecture]]
[[Category:People of the Meiji era]]
[[Category:People of the Boshin War]]
[[Category:Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Japanese people of the Russo-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Ministers of finance of Japan]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Japan]]
[[Category:Ministers of home affairs of Japan]]
[[Category:Rikken Dōshikai politicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from stomach cancer in Japan]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Franz Joseph]]
[[Category:Ministers for foreign affairs of Japan]]
[[Category:University and college founders]]
[[Category:Katsura clan|Taro]]