Rikken Minseito
Encyclopedia
was one of the main political parties
in pre-war Empire of Japan
. It was commonly known as the 'Minseitō'.
The Minseitō was founded on 1 June 1927, by a merger of the Kenseikai
and the Seiyu Hontō political parties. Its leadership included Osachi Hamaguchi, Wakatsuki Reijirō
, Yamamoto Tatsuo, Takejirō Tokonami
, Adachi Kenzō
, Koizumi Matajirō and Saitō Takao
. The party platform
was politically and economically more liberal than its major rival, the Rikken Seiyukai
, calling for rule by the Diet of Japan
rather than bureaucrats or genrō
, elimination of disparities in wealth, international cooperation, and protection of personal liberties. Its main base of support was the urban middle class
, but its principle financial backing was the Mitsubishi
zaibatsu
.
The Minseitō fielded many candidates in the February 1928 General Election, (the first to be held after the General Election Law
), winning 217 seats in the Lower House
, as opposed to 218 seats for the Seiyukai. This resulted in a hung parliament
.
In the following 1930 General Election, the Minseitō took 273 seats, as opposed to 174 seats for the Seiyukai, which gave it an absolute majority. Minseitō president Osachi Hamaguchi became Prime Minister
. Hamaguchi’s first priority was to address the effects of the 1929 Stock Market Crash through retrenchment
of government spending, tightening the money supply
and encouraging exports while stabilizing foreign investments through returning to a fixed exchange rate..
During its tenure, the Minseitō also advocated a conciliatory foreign policy, and ratified the London Naval Agreement of 1930. However, Hamaguchi fell victim to an assassination attempt on 14 November 1930 when he was shot in Tokyo Station
by a member of an ultranationalist secret society
. Wakatsuki Reijirō
became acting Prime Minister.
In 1931, Minseitō strongly opposed the Mukden Incident
which was engineered by the Imperial Japanese Army
. The anti-war Foreign Minister Kijūrō Shidehara
and Prime Minister Reijirō came under strong criticism for their intervention in military affairs, and were accused of "serious corruption", and his government collapsed in 1931.
In the following 1932 General Election, some right-wing members defected to the Rikken Seiyukai, which won an absolute majority of 301 seats. Seiyukai president Inukai Tsuyoshi
became prime minister.
The Minseitō was able to recover a very slight majority of 205 seats versus 175 seats for the Seiyukai in the 1936 General Election
only by adopting a more pro-military stance. However, the narrow margin again resulted in a hung parliament. The Minseitō dropped back down to 179 seats in the 1937 General Election
, while the Seiyukai retained all of its 175 seats, which continued the paralysis in the Diet of Japan.
On 15 August 1940 the Minseitō voted to dissolve itself into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association as part of Fumimaro Konoe
's efforts to create a single-party state
, and thereafter ceased to exist.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in pre-war Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. It was commonly known as the 'Minseitō'.
The Minseitō was founded on 1 June 1927, by a merger of the Kenseikai
Kenseikai
The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan.The Kenseikai was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the Rikken Doshikai , Chuseikai and the Koyu Kurabu...
and the Seiyu Hontō political parties. Its leadership included Osachi Hamaguchi, Wakatsuki Reijirō
Wakatsuki Reijiro
ōBaron was a Japanese politician and the 25th and 28th Prime Minister of Japan. Opposition politicians of the time derogatorily labeled him Usotsuki Reijirō, or "Reijirō the Liar".- Early life :...
, Yamamoto Tatsuo, Takejirō Tokonami
Takejirō Tokonami
was a Japanese politician who served as Home Minister of Japan and Railway Minister. Tokonami was born January 1897 in Kagoshima, and later attended the law school at the University of Tokyo...
, Adachi Kenzō
Adachi Kenzo
was a Japanese politician of Taishō and early Shōwa periods. Originally from Kumamoto, he was involved in the murder of the Korean queen in 1895. He was a founding member of the Kumamoto National Party and was elected to the House of Representatives of Japan in 1902. He was active in the Rikken...
, Koizumi Matajirō and Saitō Takao
Saito Takao
was a Japanese politician and longtime member of the Imperial Diet from Hyōgo Prefecture. He was a member of the Rikken Minseito party. On February 2, 1940, he made a speech in which he sharply questioned the prosecution and justification of Japan's "holy war" in China. For this, he was expelled...
. The party platform
Party platform
A party platform, or platform sometimes also referred to as a manifesto, is a list of the actions which a political party, individual candidate, or other organization supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said peoples' candidates voted into political office or...
was politically and economically more liberal than its major rival, the Rikken Seiyukai
Rikken Seiyukai
The was one of the main political parties in the pre-war Empire of Japan. It was also known simply as the ‘Seiyūkai'Founded on September 15, 1900 by Itō Hirobumi , the Seiyūkai was a pro-government alliance of bureaucrats and former members of the Kenseitō. The Seiyūkai was the most powerful...
, calling for rule by the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
rather than bureaucrats or genrō
Genro
was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan, who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods in Japanese history.The institution of genrō...
, elimination of disparities in wealth, international cooperation, and protection of personal liberties. Its main base of support was the urban middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
, but its principle financial backing was the Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
zaibatsu
Zaibatsu
is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
.
The Minseitō fielded many candidates in the February 1928 General Election, (the first to be held after the General Election Law
General Election Law
The ' was a law passed in Taishō period Japan, extending suffrage to all males aged 25 and over. It was proposed by the Kenseito political party and it was passed by the Diet of Japan on 5 May 1925.-Background:...
), winning 217 seats in the Lower House
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
, as opposed to 218 seats for the Seiyukai. This resulted in a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
.
In the following 1930 General Election, the Minseitō took 273 seats, as opposed to 174 seats for the Seiyukai, which gave it an absolute majority. Minseitō president Osachi Hamaguchi became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
. Hamaguchi’s first priority was to address the effects of the 1929 Stock Market Crash through retrenchment
Retrenchment
Retrenchment is an act of cutting down or reduction, particularly of public expenditure.-Political usage:The word is familiar in this, its most general sense, from the motto of the Gladstonian Liberal party in British politics, "Peace, Retrenchment and Reform."The manifesto for 1906 Liberal...
of government spending, tightening the money supply
Money supply
In economics, the money supply or money stock, is the total amount of money available in an economy at a specific time. There are several ways to define "money," but standard measures usually include currency in circulation and demand deposits .Money supply data are recorded and published, usually...
and encouraging exports while stabilizing foreign investments through returning to a fixed exchange rate..
During its tenure, the Minseitō also advocated a conciliatory foreign policy, and ratified the London Naval Agreement of 1930. However, Hamaguchi fell victim to an assassination attempt on 14 November 1930 when he was shot in Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
by a member of an ultranationalist secret society
Uyoku dantai
Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups.In 1996, the National Police Agency estimated that there are over 1000 right wing groups in Japan with about 100,000 members in total.-Tennō period:...
. Wakatsuki Reijirō
Wakatsuki Reijiro
ōBaron was a Japanese politician and the 25th and 28th Prime Minister of Japan. Opposition politicians of the time derogatorily labeled him Usotsuki Reijirō, or "Reijirō the Liar".- Early life :...
became acting Prime Minister.
In 1931, Minseitō strongly opposed the Mukden Incident
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for invading the northern part of China known as Manchuria in 1931....
which was engineered by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
. The anti-war Foreign Minister Kijūrō Shidehara
Kijuro Shidehara
Baron was a prominent pre–World War II Japanese diplomat and the 44th Prime Minister of Japan from 9 October 1945 to 22 May 1946. He was a leading proponent of pacifism in Japan before and after World War II, and was also the last Japanese prime minister who was a member of the kazoku...
and Prime Minister Reijirō came under strong criticism for their intervention in military affairs, and were accused of "serious corruption", and his government collapsed in 1931.
In the following 1932 General Election, some right-wing members defected to the Rikken Seiyukai, which won an absolute majority of 301 seats. Seiyukai president Inukai Tsuyoshi
Inukai Tsuyoshi
was a Japanese politician and the 29th Prime Minister of Japan from 13 December 1931 to 15 May 1932.-Early life:Inukai was born to a former samurai family of the Niwase Domain, in Niwase village, Bizen Province , and was a graduate of Keio Gijuku in Tokyo. In his early career, he worked as a...
became prime minister.
The Minseitō was able to recover a very slight majority of 205 seats versus 175 seats for the Seiyukai in the 1936 General Election
Japanese general election, 1936
The Japanese general election, 1936 was held in Japan in 1936....
only by adopting a more pro-military stance. However, the narrow margin again resulted in a hung parliament. The Minseitō dropped back down to 179 seats in the 1937 General Election
Japanese general election, 1937
General elections were held in Japan on 31 March 1937. Rikken Minseitō emerged as the largest in Parliament, with 179 of the 466 seats. Voter turnout was 73.3%.-Results:...
, while the Seiyukai retained all of its 175 seats, which continued the paralysis in the Diet of Japan.
On 15 August 1940 the Minseitō voted to dissolve itself into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association as part of Fumimaro Konoe
Fumimaro Konoe
Prince was a politician in the Empire of Japan who served as the 34th, 38th and 39th Prime Minister of Japan and founder/leader of the Taisei Yokusankai.- Early life :...
's efforts to create a single-party state
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
, and thereafter ceased to exist.