Kato Tomosaburo
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Viscount Katō Tomosaburō (加藤 友三郎 Katō Tomosaburō, February 22 1861–August 24 1923) was a Japanese politician and the 21st Prime Minister of Japan from June 12 1922 to August 24 1923.
Born in Hiroshima to a retainer of the shogun, Kato enrolled in the Naval War College and graduated in its seventh class. During the Russo-Japanese War, he served as Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet alongside Admiral Togo Heihachiro on the battleship Mikasa, assisting in Japan's victory at the Battle of Tsushima. It is said that during this time he suffered from a very weak stomach, and was vomiting as he issued orders throughout the battle, despite having taken large amounts of medication.
He became a full admiral in 1915 and served as Minister of the Navy in the cabinets of Okuma Shigenobu, Terauchi Masatake, Hara Takashi, and Takahashi Korekiyo. Under Hara and Takahashi, Kato was Japan's delegate to the Washington Naval Conference, and worked with Ambassador Shidehara Kijuro in the negotiations that led to the Five-Power Naval Treaty.
Following his return to Japan, Kato was appointed Prime Minister in recognition of his performance at the conference. Although his tenure as prime minister was marked by several important events, most notably the withdrawal of Japanese forces from Siberia, Kato succumbed to late-stage colon cancer and died a little over a year into his term.
| Preceded by: Takahashi Korekiyo | Prime Minister of Japan 1922–1923 | Succeeded by: Yamamoto Gonnohyoe |