Yoshihara Shigetoshi
Yoshihara Shigetoshi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), Japan |
| Occupation(s) | Diplomat, Banker |
| Years active | 1863–1887 |
| Known for | First Governor of the Bank of Japan |
was a Japanese diplomat who became the inaugural Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).
Early life
Originating from the Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), Yoshihara was born as the son of a samurai serving the Shimazu clan. He was the youngest among the Sonnō jōi samurai engaged in the "Terada-ya Incident," an assassination attempt targeting Sakamoto Ryōma. In 1863, he participated in the Anglo-Satsuma War alongside prominent individuals such as Ōyama Iwao and Saigō Tsugumichi. After the conflict, he pursued studies in rangaku and Western traditions under the guidance of Takeda Ayasaburō in Hakodate, as well as learning English with Samuel Robbins Brown in Yokohama.
Leaving Japan
In May 1866, assisted by Thomas Blake Glover, Yoshihara was among five Satsuma samurai covertly transported out of Japan aboard a Portuguese cargo vessel, circumventing the Tokugawa shogunate's isolation policies. His journey took him via the Cape of Good Hope to London, where he encountered members of the initial Satsuma delegation to England, including Mori Arinori, Terashima Munenori, and Godai Tomoatsu. Subsequently, he traveled to the United States and enrolled at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts in 1867. During that period, he formed a connection with fellow student Niijima Jō. In January 1869, Yoshihara embraced Christianity before matriculating at Yale University, where he studied political science and law.
Germany
After the Meiji Restoration, Yoshihara accompanied Ōyama Iwao, Shinagawa Yajirō, and Nakahama Manjirō as military observers in Germany amid the 1871 Franco-Prussian War, visiting cities such as Frankfurt, Berlin, and Paris during a ceasefire interval. The group acquired advanced currency printing equipment which was utilized by the Meiji government to produce its initial banknotes.
In 1872, Yoshihara served as Third Secretary on the Iwakura Mission, which met with President Ulysses S. Grant but did not succeed in renegotiating unequal treaties. After traveling through England and other countries, he returned to Japan in March 1873.
Japan
Upon his return, Yoshihara held the position of First Secretary at the Foreign Ministry and acted as liaison to the American Consulate-General. In 1874, responding to Ōkubo Toshimichi's request, he joined Gustave Emile Boissonade and Japan’s delegation negotiating with Qing dynasty China prior to the Japanese Expedition of 1874 to Taiwan. Later, in 1877, he resumed work at the Ministry of Finance as First Secretary and Director of the Customs Bureau.
Paris
In November 1878, Yoshihara traveled to Paris alongside Matsukata Masayoshi and Aoki Shuzo for another effort aimed at revising unequal treaties. On February 28, 1880, he assumed leadership as director of the Yokohama Specie Bank and also served as Vice-Finance Minister. Acting on Matsukata’s recommendation, Yoshihara was named the first Governor of the Bank of Japan on October 6, 1882.
Throughout his governorship, he implemented innovations such as compound interest, promissory notes, and bank checks. In 1885, he spent ten months visiting European financial hubs to examine their banking systems.
Death
Yoshihara passed away while still holding office on December 19, 1887.