JAPANESE STATESMAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 638, 15 April 1929, Page 9

JAPANESE STATESMAN

VISCOUNT GOTO DEAD

(Australian and X.Z. Press Association) TOKYO, Sunday.

The death has occurred of Viscount Shimpei Goto, an outstanding international statesman. He was the founder and leader of the Boy Scouts in Japan.

In Japan’s march to Western efficiency Shimpei Goto took an active part. Born in 1556 he studied medicine in Japan and Germany. Later he entered the Japanese public health service, and as an army doctor took part in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-5). Afterwards he was sent to the newly-conquered island of Formosa as Civil Governor. Later he was entrusted with the management of the South Manchurian railway, and in 1908 was Minister of Communications in the Katsura Government. Like his leader he followed a policy of closer relations with Russia. In the Ministry of Terauchi, formed in October, 1916, after the resignation of the Okuma Ministry, Goto was at first Minister of the Interior and then after the resignation of Motono in April, 1918, succeeded him as Foreign Minister, but resigned with Terauchi in September of the same year’. He was again Minister of the Interior in the Yamamoto Government of September, 1923. In 1920 Goto took over the office of Mayor of Tokyo with the object of converting that vast collection of dwellings into a modern city and of getting rid of the corruption that had prevailed in the municipal administration. He was raised to the peerage in 190 G and received a viscounty in 1922.