8 KATO TAKAAKI, 1860-1926 A Remarkable Diplomat and Statesman [London, Minister ]895-1900; Ambassador 1908-12] IAN NISH Kato Takaaki ato Takaaki (1860-1926) had a remarkable record as diplomat and foreign K minister. He spent about a quarter of his career overseas and was foreign minister four times. He had th e good fortune to be able to combine diplomatic service abroad with high office in Tokyo. Since his only overseas postings were in Britain, he occupies a special place in the diplomacy of Anglo-Japanese relations. Among Japanese he was one of the greatest admirers of the institutions of Victorian-Edwardian Britain . Both in the Japanese Embassy in London and in Japan he achieved many of the goals he set for himself. But his temperament was brusque, puritanical, straight-talking and individualistic. Perhaps for that reason he is not generally given the credit for his achievements as one of Japan's greatest diplomats.1 Kato was born in Owari outside the area of the clans who had engineered the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and therefore without any special connections in government. In December 1882, after graduating from Tokyo Imperial University, which had just been established, he took up his first employment with Mitsubishi. He joined the sea transportation department, the main branch of the company at the time. After postings at Kobe, Osaka and Otaru, he was sent to London in April 1883 for study abroad (ryi1gaku) . He stayed at 33 Kings Road, Finsbury Park, north London.f But much of his time was spent in Liverpool, which had the reputation as the hub of global shipping at the time. In order to learn the technicalities of his trade, he was assisted by James Bowes, a prominent merchant who is described in Kate's biography as a Japanophile ('shin-Nichi'). Returning to London, Kato studied customs procedures and the shipping and insurance market, staying at 190 Stanhope Street, NW. There he got to know Mutsu Munemitsu, later to become foreign minister, who was spending 18 months in Europe for study and was based in London for most of that period. Kato developed a great respect for Mutsu which had much effect on the direction KATO TAKAAKI, 1860-1926 81 his career would take. It was Mutsu who persuaded him on two occasions to join the Foreign Ministry. Kato left London in April 1885 and travelled around Europe on his way back to japan. These early experiences of Europe were to influence his career deeply," At the end of his overseas stint he married the eldest daughter of Iwasaki Yataro (of the Mitsubishi house) who had died shortly before. This gave him wealth and valuable connections. He was charged with planning the merger of his company and the state-owned shipping line. Soon, however, he chose to desert the private sector and entered the Foreign Ministry in january 1887. He became private secretary to Okuma Shigenobu as foreign minister and was to play an important part both as interpreter and negotiator in the talks on treaty revision. After Okuma's fall from grace, he switched to the Finance Ministry. This double-barrelled experience in the bureaucracy was to prove helpful in his career, though he was later to claim that he was a non-bureaucratic politician. His old friend and senior, Mutsu, became foreign minister in the Ito ministry from August 1892. When the Sino-japanese war began in August 1894, Kato gladly returned to the Foreign Ministry and was appointed temporary chief of the political affairs section (seimu kyokuchii). He attained the rank of minister plenipotentiary and negotiated the conclusion of the japan-Korea Defence Agreement. In October he became attached to the General Headquarters (Daihonei) at Hiroshima, an indication of his importance to Mutsu. With Hayashi Tadasu and Hara Takashi, he made up a strong team of roung officials who supported Mutsu during the travails of wartime diplomacy. SINO-JAPANESE WAR, 1894-5 The military and naval aspects of the war swung in japan's favour; and the Chinese were forced to sue for peace. The Sino-japanese peace negotiations were convened at Shimonoseki on 20 March 1895. But China had already been canvassing for the support of the Powers, hoping that they would intervene or exercise some influence on her behalf. It was Vital, therefore, for japan to preempt any desire they had for intervention. Foreign Minister Mutsu had been expecting action by the Powers since early in the war. He recognized that japan was unpopular with Britain because she had not taken up British offers of mediation before and during the war. Mutsu assumed that this frigidity was also due to Britain's friendship with China and made it his objective to win over Britain to goodwill towards japan. japan found herself, as happened all too often, under-represented abroad for the task. The existing incumbent who superintended the legations in Berlin and London, Aoki Shuzo, could not cope with the two posts during wartime and had in any case antagonized Mutsu. With great urgency Kato was appointed Minister to the Court of St james's on 23 November. He set off by way of Canada one month later, reaching London on 23 january 1895. For Kato to receive this responsible assignment at the young age of 35 was a sign of Mutsu's confidence in him. He was naturally overjoyed to take over japan's top diplomatic post at a critical time for his country. From his first meeting with the foreign secretary of the Liberal government, Lord Kimberley, on 4 February, Kato felt that they established a fine personal rapport but perceived that japan had still much persuasion to do." japan passed over the draft of her peace terms to China, which were leaked by the Chinese to most of the powers including Britain. Kato reported to Tokyo his impression that.