Okano Keijirō

Okano Keijirō
岡野 敬次郎
Vice President of the Privy Council
In office
1 October 1925 – 23 December 1925
MonarchTaishō
PresidentHozumi Nobushige
Preceded byHozumi Nobushige
Succeeded byYūzaburō Kuratomi
Minister of Agriculture and Commerce
In office
24 December 1923 – 7 January 1924
Prime MinisterYamamoto Gonnohyōe
Preceded byDen Kenjirō
Succeeded byMaeda Toshisada
Minister of Education
In office
6 September 1923 – 7 January 1924
Prime MinisterYamamoto Gonnohyōe
Preceded byInukai Tsuyoshi
Succeeded byEgi Kazuyuki
Minister of Justice
In office
12 June 1922 – 2 September 1923
Prime MinisterKatō Tomosaburō
Preceded byEnkichi Ōki
Succeeded byDen Kenjirō
Director-General of the Legislative Bureau
In office
20 February 1913 – 20 September 1913
Prime MinisterYamamoto Gonnohyōe
Preceded byIchiki Kitokurō
Succeeded byYūzaburō Kuratomi
In office
31 August 1911 – 21 December 1912
Prime MinisterSaionji Kinmochi
Preceded byBan'ichirō Yasuhiro
Succeeded byIchiki Kitokurō
In office
13 January 1906 – 14 July 1908
Prime MinisterSaionji Kinmochi
Preceded byIchiki Kitokurō
Succeeded byBan'ichirō Yasuhiro
Member of the House of Peers
In office
28 December 1908 – 9 October 1925
Nominated by the Emperor
Personal details
Born(1865-09-21)21 September 1865
Died23 December 1925(1925-12-23) (aged 60)
EducationKaisei Academy
Alma materTokyo Imperial University

Baron Okano Keijirō (岡野 敬次郎; 21 September 1865 – 23 December 1925) was a legal scholar, a politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war Empire of Japan.

Biography

Okano was a native of Kōzuke Province (modern-day Gunma Prefecture). He graduated from the Kaisei Academy, followed by the Law School of Tokyo Imperial University, continuing on to graduate school to obtain a Doctor of law degree. He became professor of Tokyo Imperial University (See Keijirō Okano [:ja:]). He worked as a bureaucrat at various cabinet ministries in the Meiji government, and was appointed to a seat in the Upper House of the Diet of Japan in 1908. He served as Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau under the First and Second Saionji Cabinets (1906–1908; 1911–1912), and the First Yamamoto Cabinet (1913). From 1913 to 1922, Okano served as Secretary to the Administrative Court.

In 1922, Okano was appointed Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister Katō Tomosaburō. In the subsequent Second Yamamoto Cabinet, he held the portfolios for Minister of Education and Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1925, Okano was appointed to Vice-President of the Privy Council, and was awarded the title of baron (danshaku) in the kazoku peerage. He was also appointed President of the prestigious Imperial Academy. He died the same year.