Itō Hirobumi

1st, 5th, 7th and 10th Prime Minister of Japan (1841–1909)

Source-basedStable

Lived 1841–1909, aged 68Japan

Japan PoliticiansPolitician

Fame31.9
Momentum0.0
Japan rank#45
Wikipedia45.1K

Wikipedia
66 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Japan
#45
Politicians
Era
1841–1909
Aged 68

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Japan's first prime minister and architect of the Meiji Constitution. Itō held the top job four times between 1885 and 1901, then spent decades as a shadowy genrō pulling strings behind the scenes while Japan modernized at breakneck speed.

Biography

About

Prince Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888. Itō held office again as prime minister three times between 1892 and 1901. He was also a member of the genrō, a group of senior statesmen who effectively dictated policy for the Empire of Japan during the Meiji era. A key figure in the making of modern Japan, Itō played a central role in the drafting of the 1889 Meiji Constitution as well as the establishment of the National Diet and Japanese cabinet system.

Profile