The Korean imperial Government dispatched students to Japan to study there, by Imperial funding, in October 1904. The purpose of this project was to train some members of the officials community to become Emperor Kojong’s associates. He wished that with such education, they would push ahead with Korea’s modernization at the king’s side. However, they unexpectedly went on a student strike, for two reasons: frustration from the 1905 Protectorate Treaty, and the oppressive military way of education at the Tokyo First Junior High School.
The strike continued for 4 months against the Tokyo First Junior High School and the Japanese Government, but could not achieve any tangible results, because Korean Government was deprived of its diplomatic sovereignty. According to the records of the Japanese Joseon Governor-General office in Korea, 26 students apologized, and returned to the Tokyo First Junior High School or the vocational school, but 10 students who refused the reinstatement was deprived of their status as a student. The strike of Korean royal students studying at the Tokyo First Junior High School was ended in 1906.
The strike was the first diplomatic issue ever to arise between Korea and Japan after the conclusion of the 1905 Protectorate Treaty. Therefore, the Korean and Japanese Governments’ actions against the strike set a first and important precedent for the Japanese authorities in their future dealings with Korean external affairs and overseas Koreans, and with regard to the role of the Governor-General office inside Korea. So, the Japanese Government took advantage of the strike for the purpose of strengthening the stature of the Governor-General office which was established in 1906. Governor-General Ito’s intention for the overseas Koreans to be controlled by the Japanese Government under the 1905 Protectorate Treaty seems to have been politically established through the settlement of this strike. And it was a person named Kurachi-Tetsukichi that took a very important role in this case.
The Korean Government as well as the Japanese Government and the Governor-General office delegated full authority to Kurachi-Tetsukichi in connection with the strike, but he acted beyond his authority and tried to control not only the Korean students studying in Japan at the Imperial expense but also other Korean students in Japan in general. Moreover, he took part in this case mainly from March to June in 1906, which was not a time period the Korean Government entrusted him with this case with full powers. In short, Kurachi-Tetsukichi performed his duty with regard to the strike under the arrogation of the Governor-General office but without the delegation of power from the Korean Government.