Goto Shojiro

Image: From "Count Goto Shojiro" (Fuzambo, 1914)

It is said that the politicians with whom Fukuzawa Yukichi shared the deepest friendship were Okuma Shigenobu and Goto Shojiro ("The Life of Fukuzawa Yukichi" 4, p. 744). While his relationship with Okuma is well known, it is not widely known that Fukuzawa held Goto in high regard and actually supported him deeply. Why did Fukuzawa value Goto, who was described as an elusive figure and the "Great Elephant of the Former World" (Omachi Keigetsu, "Count Goto Shojiro")?

Born in Tosa on March 19, 1838, as the eldest son of Goto Sukeemon Masaharu. His childhood name was Hayata, later Ryosuke. He was close friends from childhood with Itagaki Taisuke, who lived nearby. He acquired the foundations of scholarship under the tutelage of his uncle-in-law, Yoshida Toyo. Iwasaki Yataro, the founder of Mitsubishi, was a fellow student. Later, he entered and studied at the Kaiseijo in Edo. He gradually rose to prominence, eventually holding real power as the Grand Inspector of the Tosa Domain. During the Restoration, he is famous as the merit-holder who persuaded Yamauchi Yodo to adopt the policy of union between the imperial court and the shogunate, and also persuaded Tokugawa Yoshinobu to realize the Restoration of Imperial Rule (Taiseihokan) in 1867 (he was later created a count). After the Restoration, he held various important posts in the new government (Governor of Osaka Prefecture, Senior Vice Minister of Public Works, Chairman of the Sain, Councilor, etc.). In 1873, he resigned from the government over the Seikanron (debate on invading Korea), and the following year, along with Itagaki and others, he submitted the "Petition for the Establishment of a Popularly Elected Assembly" to the Sain and formed the Aikoku Koto (Public Party of Patriots). Around that time, he established the Horaisya company for political funds and managed it, but struggled. In 1875, he became a member of the Genroin (Chamber of Elders) and was elected Vice Chairman.

The catalyst for Fukuzawa and Goto becoming close was the issue surrounding the transfer of the Takashima Coal Mine (Nagasaki Prefecture), which produced high-quality coal. On November 10, 1874, Goto received the sale of the Takashima Coal Mine from the Ministry of Finance for 550,000 yen. However, due to a lack of funds, he borrowed the entire 200,000 yen for the immediate payment from the foreign-capital firm Jardine Matheson & Co., and began operations with the remaining 350,000 yen to be paid in installments over seven years. The contract was structured so that the firm received high commissions along with interest, preventing the mine's profits from reaching Goto, and heavy debts began to pile up. In 1878, the firm filed a lawsuit against Goto seeking an injunction against coal sales and machinery use, and payment of a $1.26 million debt (eventually settled with a $1.1 million payment). According to Fukuzawa, Goto's total debt reached 1.3 million yen, leaving him in a state where he could not conduct political activities.

Fukuzawa, wishing to prevent foreign capital from effectively controlling the mine and to save Goto—whom he highly valued as a politician—from debt, busied himself with transfer negotiations even though he had not been asked. From October 1878, he worked through Ishikawa Shichizai, Shoda Heigoro, and Sando Naoto to encourage Iwasaki Yataro's Mitsubishi to acquire the mine. In October of the following year, he conveyed his evaluation of Goto to Iwasaki, stating, "Although his natural talents are unsuitable for commerce, his noble and open-hearted character is exactly what is needed for the great affairs of today's society, a point beyond doubt by public opinion" ("Collected Letters of Fukuzawa Yukichi" 2, p. 275), and earnestly proposed the acquisition. Iwasaki did not initially agree, but Fukuzawa continued to persuade him alongside Okuma. In July 1880, Iwasaki finally decided to make the purchase. Fukuzawa rejoiced unreservedly, calling it "truly one of the great happy events of recent years" ("Collected Letters" 3, p. 6).

In March of the following year, 1881, Mitsubishi acquired the Takashima Coal Mine for 971,600 yen and agreed to pay Goto 1,000 yen per month (later resolved with a lump-sum payment of 100,000 yen). Ultimately, as Fukuzawa had anticipated, Goto was able to clear his debts and obtain a monthly income, while Mitsubishi also gained significant profits from the high-quality coal of the Takashima mine.

Taking this opportunity, Fukuzawa and Goto began to visit each other frequently. Fukuzawa seems to have been attracted to Goto's bold and open-hearted personality and his philosophy of independent freedom, which was indifferent to traditional customs. According to Miyake Hyozo, a Keio University alumni who served as Goto's secretary, Goto's house was always lively, in contrast to Fukuzawa's quiet household. However, when Fukuzawa came to Goto's house, he would relax, while Goto would instead sit formally and show respect. When Goto visited Fukuzawa's house, their conversation lasted long and they had dinner together. Goto was extravagant with food and loved ice cream, often "denouncing those who eat ice as savages." However, when Fukuzawa shaved the ice himself and served it after the meal, Goto reportedly ate it with a "delicious-looking face" ("The Life of Fukuzawa Yukichi" 2, p. 533).

Subsequently, in October 1881, Goto became involved in the formation of the Liberal Party and became a standing committee member. The following year, he planned a study tour of Europe with Itagaki, but a dispute arose within the Liberal Party (the Overseas Travel Issue) due to the poor timing so soon after the party's formation and suspicions that the funding might have come from the government. As a result of this series of disturbances, leading party members such as Baba Tatsui, who were at the forefront of the criticism, resigned as standing committee members. In November 1882, the two departed for Europe. Goto traveled through France, Germany, and Britain, returning in June 1883. Little is known about Goto's actions or how he spent his funds in Europe, other than records of him meeting Ito Hirobumi in Berlin and purchasing a Louis Vuitton bag in Paris. The Liberal Party eventually disbanded in 1884 due to factors such as the failure of its financial plans.

Around that time, Fukuzawa was generously supporting the Korean Enlightenment Party, including accepting Korean students into Keio University. He introduced Goto, who was then out of office, to one of them, Kim Ok-gyun. Kim planned for foreign loans and Goto's appointment as a government advisor, but these plans vanished when the Enlightenment Party was destroyed in the Gapsin Coup of December 1884. It appears that not only Fukuzawa but also Goto provided considerable financial support to the Enlightenment Party. During the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, a plan arose to dispatch Goto as an advisor to the Korean government, but this also did not materialize. Whenever Goto lost his position, Fukuzawa always tried to set up opportunities for him to be active. This shows how much he recognized Goto's political qualities.

In 1887, three years before the opening of the National Diet, the Petition Movement on Three Major Issues developed into the Great Merger Movement (Daidō Danketsu), gaining momentum nationwide.

Mishima Michitsune, who served as the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police, was wary of this movement and used secret detectives to gather information. He was particularly sensitive to the movements of Fukuzawa and Goto, whom he regarded as anti-establishment. According to intelligence reports, when Goto spoke at a convention of the Kojunsha, a social club for Keio-related individuals, he criticized the government and called on Kojunsha members to prepare for the opening of the Diet. He showed his ambition to seize power, stating, "Though I am already old, I wish to take the helm once more and restore the destiny of our country" (Osamu Terasaki and Takeyuki Tokura, "Secret Detective Reports / Movements of the Fukuzawa Faction, etc.," "Fukuzawa Yukichi Nenkan" 31). Mishima likely suspected that if the Fukuzawa faction gathering at the Kojunsha became a political party before the opening of the Diet, and if Goto, who had emerged as a leader of the Great Merger Movement, linked up with them, they would have the power to topple the government. Ito Hirobumi was also wary of Goto's public speaking, stating, "He will surely include needles within his words through smooth means" and "Great caution is essential" (Letter from Ito Hirobumi to Ito Miyoji, "Reference Service and Bibliography" 47, p. 9).

To suppress the movement, the government enacted the Peace Preservation Law in December, which allowed for the expulsion of those suspected of disturbing public peace or plotting insurrection to a distance of three ri (approx. 12km) from the Imperial Palace or temporary residences. Mishima, wary of the connection between Fukuzawa and Goto, listed the two under the heaviest category of "full 3 years" on the list of those subject to removal. Ultimately, Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi issued a complaint through his secretary that the punishment was too severe, and the two were removed from the list (Osamu Terasaki, "The Peace Preservation Law and Fukuzawa Yukichi," "Fukuzawa Yukichi Nenkan" 22). This shows that Fukuzawa and Goto were the most strongly guarded against by the government during this period. However, within the government, there were not only hardliners but also factions like Ito's that sought to avoid a definitive confrontation.

Goto was approached about becoming the Minister of Communications in the Kuroda Kiyotaka cabinet. He consulted with several people, including Itagaki, and joined the cabinet with Itagaki's approval. Democratic activists were bewildered by the sudden news, and the movement, having lost its symbol, split into pro-party and non-party factions. While voices arose criticizing Goto's ambition for advancement, Fukuzawa evaluated in the "Jiji Shinpo" that the government was Goto's "hometown" and that joining the cabinet was natural. Furthermore, he expressed hope that Goto would "eliminate clan cliques and debate based on the principles of bold and open politics" ("Complete Works of Fukuzawa Yukichi" 12, pp. 82-84). Goto, who remained in office in the Yamagata Aritomo cabinet and the first Matsukata Masayoshi cabinet, engaged in majority-building in the Diet alongside Mutsu Munemitsu by utilizing political party networks. He moved his close associates such as Oie Taku, Oishi Masami, Inoue Kakugoro, and Takeuchi Tsuna to act as intermediaries between the government and political parties. This political method of seeking room for compromise while avoiding a definitive break with the government resonated with Fukuzawa's theory of harmony between the government and the people. In 1892, he became the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce in the second Ito Hirobumi cabinet. However, corruption within the ministry became an issue, and after a motion for an imperial address on the discipline of officials—questioning his supervisory responsibility as minister regarding the collusion between the vice-minister and merchants—was passed in the Diet, he resigned as minister in 1894.

Thereafter, from around the summer of 1896, Goto suffered from heart disease and entered a period of recuperation. A concerned Fukuzawa asked his secretary Miyake about Goto's condition and had him convey that it was essential to remain strong-willed.

Ultimately, Goto passed away on August 4, 1897, at the age of 59. Fukuzawa mourned Goto's death and published a condolence message in the "Jiji Shinpo." It included the following passage: "If this man had been placed in the position of Prime Minister and entrusted with the full power of the government, regardless of long-term national plans for a hundred years, one would surely have seen the decisive action of sweeping away the obstacles before him with vigorous spirit and refreshing the eyes and ears of the world for a time" ("Complete Works of Fukuzawa Yukichi" 16, p. 69). Fukuzawa had hoped that Goto would become Prime Minister and revitalize the stagnant political scene. Considering that the Kambo Cabinet (the first Okuma cabinet) was formed the following year in 1898, Fukuzawa's dream might have been realized had Goto lived a little longer.

In later years, a plan arose to erect a bronze statue of Goto in Shiba Park. When the organizers consulted Fukuzawa, he was furious, saying, "Goto is a hero, a meritorious servant... To turn him into a single small bronze statue is preposterous" ("The Life of Fukuzawa Yukichi" 4, p. 747). The statue was eventually built, but it was removed due to metal collection during World War II and no longer exists.