Eki Hioki

Eki Hioki was born in Ise in 1861 and studied law at the institution that became Tokyo Imperial University. He entered diplomatic service in the early 1890s. Before his later appointments as minister and ambassador, he worked in the Washington legation and acted for Kogorō Takahira during absences. ^{1, 2}

One such episode concerned a Russian officer interned in the United States during the Russo-Japanese War. In April 1905 Hioki informed the State Department that Japan did not object to Commander Berlinski of the vessel Lena traveling to Europe for his health under the stated conditions. That December he communicated a much larger change: the withdrawal of Korea’s legation and consulates and the transfer of their diplomatic functions to Japanese representatives. ^{2, 3}

Hioki subsequently represented Japan in Chile, with additional accreditation to Peru and Argentina, and became minister to China in 1914. In January 1915 he personally presented the Twenty-One Demands to President Yuan Shikai. The demands sought expanded Japanese rights in Shandong and Manchuria and, in their most intrusive group, Japanese advisers and influence over Chinese administration. ^{1, 4}

Later postings took him to Scandinavia and Germany. He returned from the German embassy in 1923 and represented Japan at the Beijing tariff conference in 1925. He died the following year. ¹