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He was born in a samurai family in KagoshimaKagoshima (; -shi) the capital city of Kagoshima prefecture at the southwest tip of the Kyushu island of Japan. It has been nicknamed the Naples of Japan', for its bay location, hot weather and impressive volcano, Sakurajima. As of 2003, the city has an e, Satsuma province (today Kagoshima prefecture). He started his samurai career as a bureaucrat of Satsuma-han. In his early career, Matsukata was highly regarded by Okubo ToshimichiOkubo Toshimichi ( Okubo Toshimichi 10 August 1830 14 May 1878), Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, is one of the five great nobles who led the revolution in 1868 against the shogunate. He was born in Satsuma, now Kagoshima Prefecture as the eldest. He was appointed to a purchaser of warships for Satsuma-han and frequently visited Nagasaki, NagasakiNagasaki (; -shi) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located at the south-western coast of Kyushu, Japan. It was a center of European influence in medieval Japan, and the second city on which an atomic bomb was dropped by the US du for the purpose of purchasing from British merchants.

When the Meiji RestorationThe Meiji Restoration (; Meiji Ishin , also known as the Meiji Ishin Meiji Revolution or Renewal describes a chain of events that led to a change in Japan's political and social structure; it occurred from 1866 to 1869, a period of 4 years that transverse occurred, Matsukata was in Nagasaki and appointed to the staff of the Court of Nagasaki as an officer of the new government. After a while he was appointed to a vice-chief of the Bureau of Tax and he later worked for the staff of the Minister of Finance. Under Okubo Toshimichi he succecced in introducing the new tax gathering system that was created in 1873Events The United Kingdom declares war against Ghana's King Kofi KariKari, who was involved in the trading of slaves. The war ended by July and the British established the Gold Coast Colony. January 17 Indian Wars: First Battle of the Stronghold during th. The new tax system was radically different from the traditional tax gathering system that preceded it. Before the reformation, taxes had generally been paid with rice tributes and varied according to the amount of rice produced. Under the new system: 1) a tax payer paid taxes with money instead of rice 2) taxes were calculated based on the price of estates, not the amount of the agricultural product produced, and 3) tax rates were fixed at 3% of the value of estates and an estate holder was obligated to pay those taxes. The new system took some years for it to be accepted by the Japanese people. After the reformation of the tax system, Matsukata managed to reform the monetary system. In 1881Events January 16- 24 ? Siege of Geok Tepe ? Russian troops under general Skobeleff defeat Turkomans January 25 Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company February 5 Phoenix, Arizona is incorporated. February 13 First issu, he was appointed to as Lord of Finance, and established the Bank of JapanThe Bank of Japan (日本銀行 Nippon Ginko is the central bank of Japan. History Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was born after the Meiji Restoration. Prior to the Restoration, Japan's feudal fiefs all issue in 1882, which has issued printed money instead of the government since that time.

When Ito Hirobumi was appointed the first Prime Minister of Japan in 1885, Ito appointed Matsukata to be the first Financial Minister. Matsukata was later appointed to the position of Prime Minister twice. Later, he was given the title of count and elder man of Japan.

Matsukata was a family man and had many children. Once the Emperor Meiji asked him how many children he had, and Matsukata was unable to give an exact answer of the number of children he had.