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Statesman. Born in Tokyo out of wedlock, a son of an official painter-in-residence (goyo eshi) of the Shogunate, he was adopted by a Sendai Clan samurai. After studying in the United States, he worked for the Education Ministry, and the Agriculture and Commerce Ministry. In 1887, he became director of the Patent Bureau. In 1892, he entered the Bank of Japan, and in 1899 became its vice-president. He displayed his skill in the flotation of foreign loans for raising funds for the Russo-Japanese War, and after serving as president of the Yokohama Shokin Bank and other posts, he became the president of the Bank of Japan in 1911. He successively held important political posts such as finance minister in the first Yamamoto and Hara cabinets, president of the Seiyukai (Friends of Constitutional Government Party), and in 1921, he became prime minister. He took part in the second movement to protect constitutional politics. Later, he successively held ministerial posts such as minister of agriculture and commerce in the T. Kato cabinet, and finance minister in the G. Tanaka, Inukai, Saito, and Okada cabinets. He had a positive financial approach called "Takahashi Finance". As his policy was to control military expenditure, he opposed the military and was assassinated in the February 26 Incident.
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Takahashi, Korekiyo 
