Iwasaki Yanosuke

Baron Iwasaki Yanosuke (岩崎 彌之助) was born on February 8, 1851, in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He was a Japanese banker, businessman, investor, and politician active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the younger brother of Iwasaki Yatarō, the founder of Mitsubishi.

Iwasaki Yanosuke received his education at Tokyo Imperial University and further studied at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1885, following the death of his brother Yatarō, he became the president of Mitsubishi, one of Japan's leading conglomerates known as a zaibatsu. During his tenure as president, he purchased Marunouchi from the government in 1890. Marunouchi has historically been a central business district in Tokyo, and as of 2021, it housed the headquarters of twenty Fortune Global 500 companies.

In 1894, Iwasaki was succeeded by Hisaya Iwasaki as the president of Mitsubishi. Iwasaki Yanosuke served as the fourth Governor of the Bank of Japan from November 11, 1896, to October 20, 1898. His involvement in banking and finance marked his significant influence in Japan's financial sector during this period.

In 1900, Iwasaki Yanosuke was created a baron under the kazoku peerage system. He was also a member of Japan's House of Peers, the upper house of the Imperial Diet.

His family continued his legacy in business. His son Koyata Iwasaki became the fourth president of Mitsubishi. His second son, Toshiya Iwasaki, founded his own company, Asahi Glass, expanding the family's influence in Japanese industry.

Iwasaki Yanosuke passed away on March 25, 1908.