Hara Takashi

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Hara Takashi
原 敬
Prime Minister of Japan
In office 29 September 1918 – 4 November 1921
Monarch	Taishō
Preceded by	Terauchi Masatake
Succeeded by	Uchida Kosai (Acting)
Personal details
Born	(1856-03-15)15 March 1856 Motomiya, Mutsu, Japan
Died	4 November 1921(1921-11-04) (aged 65) Tokyo, Japan
Cause of death	Stab wounds
Political party	Rikken Seiyūkai
Spouse	Hara Asako (1871–1923)
Alma mater	Imperial University (Incomplete)
Signature
Japanese name
Kanji	原 敬
Hiragana	はら たかし
Transcriptions Romanization Hara Takashi

Hara Takashi (原 敬, 15 March 1856 – 4 November 1921) was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 until his assassination.

Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Representatives. Hara served as Home Minister in several cabinets under Saionji Kinmochi and Yamamoto Gonnohyōe between 1906 and 1913. Hara was appointed Prime Minister following the Rice Riots of 1918 and positioned himself as a moderate, participating in the Paris Peace Conference, founding the League of Nations, and relaxing oppressive policies in Japanese Korea. Hara's premiership oversaw the Siberian intervention and the suppression of the March 1st Movement in Japanese-occupied Korea. Hara was assassinated by Nakaoka Kon'ichi, a far-right nationalist, on 4 November 1921.

Hara was the first commoner and first Christian appointed to be Prime Minister of Japan, informally known as Hara Kei, and given the moniker of "commoner prime minister" (平民宰相, heimin saishō).