Chargé Wilson to the Secretary of State.
Tokyo, January 9, 1906.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the appointment of Viscount Aoki as His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s ambassador to the United States was made on the 7th instant and gazetted to-day.
The Viscount Aoki’s official career was begun by his appointment as secretary of legation at Berlin in 1873. The following year he was accredited as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary at that capital, in which capacity he continued about eleven years. His next appointments were as vice minister for foreign affairs, and then [Page 1006] as minister for foreign affairs (1889–1891). From 1892 to 1895 he was again minister to Germany. Returning to Japan he became once more minister for foreign affairs, from 1898 to 1900. Upon retirement from the foreign office he was made a privy councillor. In the course of his missions to Germany he was accredited also, at different times, to Austria-Hungary, to Holland, to Belgium, and to Great Britain, and many of Japan’s treaties now in force bear his signature.
Viscount Aoki is 62 years old. He speaks German perfectly and English pretty well. His wife is a German lady.
I have, etc.,