Watanabe Hiromoto

Watanabe Hiromoto (also read as Watanabe Kouki, 渡辺洪基; 28 January 1848 – 24 May 1901) was a Japanese statesman, politician, diplomat, educator. Member of the Imperial Parliament of Japan, member of the Senate. The head of Tokyo Prefecture (1885–1886), Rector of Tokyo Imperial University (1886–1890).

Biography Watanabe Hiromoto was born on 28 January 1848, in Fuchu, Echizen Province, the son of Watanabe Seyan, a Fukui-han doctor. In 1857 he entered the local Rikkyo School and then to the Fukui Sisei School.

In 1864, at the age of 18, Hiromoto arrived in Edo, where he studied medicine under Sato Shunkaya. He then entered the private Keio Fukuzawa Yukichi School, after which he founded the English School in Aizu-han.

During the Boshin War of 1868–1869, Hiromoto participated on the side of the anti-government Northern Alliance. After the imperial pardon, he joined the new government as a junior Ministry of Foreign Affairs clerk.

In 1871 Hiromoto was elected to the Iwakura Embassy, and spent two years abroad studying the social and political order of Europe and the United States. In 1874, after his return home, he was promoted to the rank of secretary of the first class and sent as temporary deputy ambassador of Japan to Austria-Hungary.

In 1890 Hiromoto was sent to Austria-Hungary a second time as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. After his return in 1892, he opened the Rem road linking the prefectures of Tochigi and Gumma and founded the conservative political organization National Association. On behalf of this organization, the former diplomat participated in the Japanese parliament.

On 24 May 1901, Hiromoto died in Tokyo at the age of 53.