Naito Roichi (内藤魯一)
Roichi NAITO (September 28, 1846 - June 29, 1911) is the Freedom and People's Rights Movement activist who played an active part from the end of Edo period through Meiji period.
The Naito Family had been in a position of Karo (chief retainers) for fudai daimyo (a feudal lord in hereditary vassal), the Itakura clan for generations. In 1879, he established Mikawa Koshin-sha company in Aichi Prefecture and in the next year he expanded and reorganized it to establish the Aichi Prefecture Koshin-sha company. Later he was involved in the formation of Liberal Party and was elected to the secretary afterwards and then drafted a Japanese Constitution Mikomi-an proposal (a constitutional draft prepared by nongovernmental). Also he became Taisuke ITAGAKI's secretary and he is said to have saved the predicament by throwing and catching a thug when Itagaki met with the accident. There is another theory that the phrase 'even though Itagaki dies, freedom will not' which Itagaki supposedly shouted on this accident could be shouted by Naito.
Although he ran in the first election for the member of the House of Representatives, he was defeated. After he had served on a member of the prefectural assembly over 10 years, he ran in an election for the member of the House of Representatives again and was elected. He was attached to the Rikken Seiyu-kai party (a political party organized by Hirobumi ITO).
There is a bronze statue of Naito in Chiryu City, Aichi Prefecture.