Mutsu Munemitsu
| Mutsu Munemitsu 陸奥 宗光 |
|
|---|---|
Mutsu Munemitsu
|
|
| Born |
August 20, 1844 Kii Province, Japan |
| Died | August 24, 1897 (aged 53) Takinogawa, Japan |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Other names | Mutsu Yonosuke |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Cabinet Minister |
| Spouse(s) | Ryoko Munemitsu |
Count Mutsu Munemitsu (陸奥 宗光?, August 20, 1844 – August 24, 1897) was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan.
Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain, Kii Province as the sixth son of Date Munehiro, a samurai retainer of the Kii Tokugawa clan. His father was active in the Sonnō jōi movement, and Mutsu Munemitsu joined forces with Sakamoto Ryōma and Itō Hirobumi in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.
After the Meiji Restoration, Mutsu held a number of posts in the new Meiji government, including that of governor of Hyōgo Prefecture and later governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, both of which were host to foreign settlements. He was head of the Land Tax Reform of 1873–1881, and served on the Genrōin. He conspired to assist Saigō Takamori in the Satsuma Rebellion and was imprisoned from 1878 until 1883. While in prison he translated Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism into Japanese.
After he left prison, he rejoined the government as an official of the Foreign Ministry, and in 1884 was sent to Europe for studies. Later he became Japanese Minister to Washington D.C. (1888–1890), during which time he established formal diplomatic relations between Japan and Mexico, and partially revised the unequal treaties between Japan and the United States.
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