Miura Goro (三浦梧楼)
Goro MIURA (January 1, 1847 - January 28, 1926) was a samurai, military man and statesman in Japan. He was a lieutenant general (army) and viscount. His pseudonym was Kanju (観樹).
Career
He was born as the son of a baishin (indirect vassal) of a feudal retainer of Hagi Domain in present Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. After leaning at Meirinkan school, he joined Kiheitai Army and took part in the Choshu Conquest and the Boshin War. After the Meiji Restoration, he took a part in a campaign of the Seinan War as the commander of Daisan-ryodan (the third brigade). He made an observation trip with the director of Kangunbu (a management organization of Japanese Army), the head of Army War College (Japan), and Iwao OYAMA to study on the military system in Europe.
In 1888 he incorporated in the reserve duty, after holding the final post of lieutenant general at the Army, due to a conflict with the mainstream of the domain clique, such as Aritomo YAMAGATA. In July 1890, he was elected the member of Kizokuin (the House of Peers) by mutual vote of viscount, however, in September of the next year, he resigned. In 1895, he assumed his duty as Japanese extraordinary and plenipotentiary minister to Korea. In the same year, he came under suspicion that he directed the Empress Myeongseong's assassination, with the cooperation of Lieutenant Colonel Yukihiko KUSUNOSE, who was a military officer to the Legation and the adviser to the military of the Korean Government, and Kenzo ADACHI, the president of a Japanese newspaper company, 'Hanseong Shinpo.' (Itsubi Incident). After the incident, he was recalled to Japan with other Japanese who were suspected their involvement, and was imprisoned in Hiroshima Prefecture. The Hiroshima District Court as well as the court-martial held in Hiroshima the next year found all Japanese defendants not guilty, and MIURAand others were released.
In 1910, he assumed the post of privy councilor, and he also successively worked in different important posts such as the president of the incorporated educational institution Gakushuin School and the Imperial councilor. After that, he played an active role as a so called fixer in the political world, and he mediated the meeting between opposing party heads twice in 1916 and 1924 during the period of party government (and its pre-period). Especially, the latter meeting is noteworthy in the history as the meeting in which formation of 'Goken sanpa' (cooperative framework of three political parties advocating the party system) was agreed. In his later years, he wrote two literary works.