Ijuin Hikokichi

Ijuin Hikokichi (伊集院彦吉; 1864 – April 1924) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as minister of foreign affairs and Japanese ambassador to Peking.

Early life

Hikokichi was born in 1864.

Career

Hikokichi was appointed consul at Chefoo in China in 1893. He served again in China as consul general at Tientsin from 1901 to 1907. He was appointed ambassador to Pekin in 1908. On 4 September 1909, he signed the Japan-China Agreement concerning Kando as the Japanese ambassador to the Ching Empire in Beijing. During the Chinese revolution broke out in October 1911, together with then foreign minister Uchida Yasuya, he argued for the provision of support to the Ching government during the 1911 Chinese revolution. His term as ambassador to Pekin lasted until 1913.

Then, he was appointed the Japanese ambassador to Rome in 1916 and in office until 1920. During his tenure, he was one of the leading members of Japanese delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Hikokichi is described as a conservative ambassador.