Goto, Shimpei

Born June 14, 1857, in Mizusawa; died Apr. 13, 1929, in Kyoto. Japanese statesman.

During 1908–11 and 1912–13, Goto was minister of communications. From 1916 to 1918 he was minister of internal affairs and in 1918 minister of foreign affairs. Goto was the mayor of Tokyo between 1920 and 1923, and during 1923–24 he was again minister of internal affairs. After the defeat of the armed intervention by Japanese imperialism against the Soviet state. Goto conducted unofficial talks in 1923 with Soviet representatives on settling Japanese-Soviet relations. From 1925 he was president of the Japanese-Soviet Society for Cultural Ties.