ISHII, KIKUJIRO, VISCOUNT (1866-- Japanese diplo matist, was born at Chiba, Japan. Like other members of his family, he was destined to enter official life. His intention was to become a lawyer, but his studies in international law gave him a deep interest in foreign affairs. His early days were full of inci dent : the Meiji reconstructions took place before his eyes, and the constant stream of foreign influences soon aroused in him a desire to see and understand other countries. Leaving the law faculty of the Imperial university in Tokyo in 1890, he was made attaché to the Japanese Legation in Paris. During his stay in Paris he applied himself to the study of European languages and became proficient in French and English. He was made third secretary in 1893, and about this time he devoted much attention to the problems of economics and international trade. He was distressed to observe that Japan did not hold such a position in the world's mart as in the opinion of most Japanese she deserved, and he set himself to find out the causes of the trouble. He en deavoured to form a Franco-Japanese mutual trade association, and although his efforts did not at first meet with the full success he desired, a certain stimulus was at once felt. Some part of the fruits of Ishii's labours were seen in the commercial mission which was sent from France to Japan in 1925.
In 1896 he was appointed Consul to Chemulpho (Jinsen) in Korea. After this he was made second secretary and later first secretary at the Japanese Legation in Peking. He was, therefore, in Peking in an official capacity during the Boxer rising. In 1900 he was appointed Secretary of the Head Office and chief of the telegraph section of the Home Office Department, which post he held until he became director of the Commerce Bureau in 1904. In 19©7 he was sent to San Francisco and Vancouver in connection with the anti-Japanese riots there. His success in this matter was the direct cause of his appointment in the following year as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs. His love of France and understand ing of French problems made him an easy favourite for the ambassadorship to Paris in 1912, and on his return he took over the portfolio for Foreign Affairs in the new Government. He was chief of the Foreign Office for the period 1915-16, and in the latter year he was created Viscount, having been made Baron in 1912. He played a great part in American-Japanese relations and
was a special envoy to the United States in 1917. He was nomi nated a member of the House of Peers in 1916. In 1920 Vis count Ishii was for the third time officially delegated to Paris. In 1927 he became one of the Japanese delegates to the Naval Disarmament Conference at Geneva. He returned to Japan in the autumn of 1927, and retired from diplomatic service.
Perhaps Ishii's greatest claim on his country's gratitude was his work in connection with the so-called "Gentlemen's Agree ment" made between Washington and Tokyo in 1907. Lansing was the United States representative in the negotiations, for which reason the arrangement is sometimes called the "Lansing Ishii Pact." The western coast of the United States made repre sentations to Congress deploring the increasing immigration of Asiatics, notably Chinese and Japanese. It was claimed that owing to the Asiatic standard of living being lower than that of Amer icans, there was a serious possibility of California becoming a Japanese colony, and the aid of legislation was invoked. The Lansing-Ishii pourparlers resulted in the postponement of sug gested legislative measures, and a yearly maximum (tentatively fixed at 150) was proposed. Japan, through Ishii, agreed not to issue passports for more than this number annually to enter the United States as residents, and it was through Japan's alleged breach of faith in connection with this agreement that the Immi gration Restriction Act was passed by Congress in 1924. In sub stance, this Act was one of the proposals originally shelved by the labours of Lansing and Ishii.
In Dec. 1920 Viscount Ishii became Japanese delegate to the 11th session of the Council of the League of Nations. In Aug. 1923 he became President of the Council of the League and in the following month was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly. In Sept. 1925 he was again a Vice-President of the Assembly. In March 1926 he was President of the Council at its 39th session, and as such acted as President of the Assembly (March 1926) until the election of the new President. (A. N. J. W.)