Hideyoshi Arimatsu

Baron was a member of House of Peers (Japan) and a bureaucrat acted as Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, Minister of Colonial Affairs, and the Head of Cabinet Pension Bureau during the 18th cabinet of military regime .

Biography Arimatsu Hideyoshi was born in Mino-gun in Bizen Province as the child of Masayoshi Arimatsu of the Okayama Domain. In 1881, after graduating from Okayama School, he became a disciple of Sinologist Nishi Kiichi while teaching at Obie elementary school in Kuboya County. The book of Mutsu Munemitsu made him aspire to study Western learning in Tokyo, and asked advice from Komatsubara Eitarō who also had studied with Nishi. Concerned that Arimatsu was deeply influenced by Nishi who was immersed in the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, in 1884 Komatsubara supported Arimatsu to enroll at Doitsugaku Kyōkai Gakkō college to study German law and politics that was opened by Doitsugaku Kyōkai, or "Verein für deutsche Wissenschaften", founded in line with national policy in 1881.

The founding members of the Doitsugaku Kyōkai Gakkō included academics Nishi Amane and Katō Hiroyuki with German Enlightenment thoughts, and politicians Inoue Kaoru, Katsura Tarō, Hirata Tōsuke and Shinagawa Yajirō, as well as diplomat Aoki Shūzō. Professor Georg Michaelis influenced Arimatsu so much that he applied the Higher Civilian Trial in 1888 and passed as the first private college graduate.

Political career

There were five offices to which officers as a Higher Civilian like Arimatsu would be appointed; an executive civil officer, a diplomat, a consul, a judge or a public prosecutor. However Arimatsu wished to take an administrative post, he was so discouraged to be appointed in December 1888 to an assistant judge at local Mito court which performed the first trial of minor civil affair and criminal cases, that he resigned in less than one month (while his resignation was not accepted but taken into the custody of Minister for Justice and handled as a leave of absence from duty).

Arimatsu sought to work for politician Inoue Kaoru who was a founding member of the Doitsugaku Kyōkai Gakkō college he graduated, and was hired as a reporter for "Jiji Shimpō" (Autonomy News), a newsletter Inoue published before organising autonomy party Jichitō. Two years later, Inoue failed to found Jichitō and the magazine was discontinued, when Minister of Justice granted Arimatsu an opportunity and appointed him a judge. Arimitsu's outstanding accomplishment promoted him to the post of Counsellor, Department of Justice in November 1892. His deed was highly esteemed, and promoted him to Councillor of Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce in December 1892. and with resignation from government official, 22 December 1905 - Order of the Sacred Treasure 4th class, Gold Rays with Rosette 10 November 1915 - Enthronement of Emperor Taisho Medal 1 April 1916 - Order of the Rising Sun 2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star 24 October 1927 - Order of the Rising Sun 1st Class, Grand Cordon