Itagaki, Taisuke, 1837-1919

Count Itagaki Taisuke (板垣 退助, 21 May 1837 – 16 July 1919) was a Japanese samurai, politician, and leader of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動, Jiyū Minken Undō), which evolved into Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party (Jiyūtō). His activism in favour of a parliamentary democracy was a pivotal influence on the political development of Meiji Japan. A native of Tosa Domain, Itagaki was a leading figure in the Meiji Restoration and held a series of posts in the new government, including that of Councillor of State (参議, sangi). In 1873, he resigned from government after his proposal for a military expedition to Korea, a policy known as Seikanron, was rejected. Following his resignation, Itagaki launched a political movement aimed at establishing a representative assembly. He submitted a memorial to the government in 1874 calling for the creation of a national assembly, which, though initially dismissed, sparked a nationwide debate and is considered the foundational event of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Itagaki organized his political followers in his native Tosa into the Risshisha, and in 1881, he founded the Liberal Party, widely regarded as Japan's first modern political party. He survived an assassination attempt in 1882 and travelled to Europe the same year, deepening his exposure to Western political thought. After the Meiji Constitution was promulgated in 1889, Itagaki continued his political career, serving as Minister of Home Affairs in cabinets led by Itō Hirobumi and Ōkuma Shigenobu.