Count was a Japanese statesman in the Taishō period

Taisho period

The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...

.

Ōki was born in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

. His father, Ōki Takatō

Oki Takato

, was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period. He was Governor of Tokyo in 1868 and a member of the Privy Council in 1889.Ōki was born into a samurai family in Saga, in Hizen province . He studied at the domain school Kodokan, and promoted reform of the domain administration...

 was one of the leaders in the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

, and served in numerous cabinet posts in the early Meiji government. In 1899, Enkichi succeeded to his father’s title of count (hakushaku) under the kazoku

Kazoku

The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...

peerage system. His political career began in 1908, when he was elected to the House of Peers

House of Peers (Japan)

The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....

. He initially supported the Kenkyukai, but soon switched his allegiance to the Rikken Seiyukai

Rikken Seiyukai

The was one of the main political parties in the pre-war Empire of Japan. It was also known simply as the ‘Seiyūkai'Founded on September 15, 1900 by Itō Hirobumi , the Seiyūkai was a pro-government alliance of bureaucrats and former members of the Kenseitō. The Seiyūkai was the most powerful...

. He was appointed Justice Minister

Ministry of Justice (Japan)

The is one of Ministries of the Japanese government.-Meiji Constitution:The Ministry of Justice was established under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1871 as the .-Constitution of Japan:...

 under the cabinet of Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Japan

The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...

 Hara, a post which he also held under the succeeding Takahashi administration.In 1923, he cooperated with Home Minister

Home Ministry (Japan)

The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...

 Tokonami Takejiro to introduce tightened anti-subversive legislature in response to increasing leftist agitation in the labor disputes, and the public emergence of the Japan Communist Party. Ōki was subsequently Railroad Minister under the Kato

Kato Tomosaburo

Viscount was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 12 June 1922 to 24 August 1923.-Biography:...

 and Kiyoura administrations.