Japanese general election, 1890

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Japanese general election, 1890
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1 July 1890 1892  →
All 300 seats to the House of Representatives of Japan
151 seats needed for a majority

  First party Second party Third party
  Itagaki Taisuke.jpg Taiseikai Shigenobu Okuma 5.jpg
Leader Itagaki Taisuke Shigeyuki Masuda Ōkuma Shigenobu
Party Jiyutō Taiseikai Rikken Kaishintō
Seats won 130 79 41

Japanese General election, 1890 ja.svg

Results of the Japanese General Elections, 1890
Prime Minister before election

Yamagata Aritomo
Independent

Prime Minister

Yamagata Aritomo
Independent

Japan
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Japanese general election of 1890(第1回衆議院議員総選挙,Dai-ikkai Shūgiin Giinsōsenkyō) was the Empire of Japan’s first general election for members of the House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan. It was the first example of a popularly elected national assembly in Asia [1]

Empire of Japan Empire in the Asia-Pacific region between 1868–1947

The Empire of Japan was the historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 to the enactment of the 1947 constitution of modern Japan.

A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.

Contents

History and background

Japan’s first general election for the lower house of the national assembly was held on July 1, 1890, in accordance with provisions of the new Meiji Constitution, which had been promulgated in 1889. [2]

The Constitution of the Empire of Japan, known informally as the Meiji Constitution, was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which had the proclamation on February 11, 1889, and had enacted since November 29, 1890 until May 2, 1947. Enacted after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it provided for a form of mixed constitutional and absolute monarchy, based jointly on the Prussian and British models. In theory, the Emperor of Japan was the supreme leader, and the Cabinet, whose Prime Minister would be elected by a Privy Council, were his followers; in practice, the Emperor was head of state but the Prime Minister was the actual head of government. Under the Meiji Constitution, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet were not necessarily chosen from the elected members of the group.

The election was based on limited suffrage, with only male citizens 25 years of age and over, who had paid 15 Japanese Yen or more in national taxes, and who had been resident in their prefecture for at least a year, qualified to vote. The number of eligible voters who met this requirement was 450,872 people out of a total Japanese population of 39,933,478 (1.13%). The high tax requirement meant that voter roles were heavily weighed towards rural landlords and urban entrepreneurs. In terms of social class, 91% were commoners, and 9% were ex-samurai. [3] Residents of the prefectures in Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku participated; residents Hokkaidō and Okinawa (as “territories”) were excluded from this election. About 95% of those eligible to vote actually cast ballots, although there was no penalty for not doing so. [4]

Suffrage right to vote

Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections. In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vote is called active suffrage, as distinct from passive suffrage, which is the right to stand for election. The combination of active and passive suffrage is sometimes called full suffrage.

Samurai Military nobility of pre-industrial Japan

Samurai (侍) were the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan.

Shikoku smallest of the four main islands of Japan

Shikoku is one of the four main islands of Japan. Shikoku is the smallest and least populous of the main islands, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima (伊予之二名島), Iyo-shima (伊予島), and Futana-shima (二名島), and its current name refers to the four former provinces that made up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo.

Only male citizens 30 years of age and over, who were not members of the kazoku peerage or of the imperial family or its branches were allowed to become candidates for office in the lower house. The number of seats in the lower house was 300, divided into 214 single-seat districts and 43 two-seat districts, which were contested by 1,243 candidates. The election went smoothly and without violence reported. [5]

<i>Kazoku</i> historical Japanese nobility system that was abolished in the 1947 constitution

The Kazoku was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947.

The Kyū-Miyake, also known as the Old Imperial Family (旧皇族), were branches of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. All but one of the ōke were formed by the descendants of Prince Fushimi Kuniye. The ōke were stripped of their membership in the Imperial Family by the American Occupation Authorities in October 1947, as part of the abolition of collateral imperial houses. After that point, only the immediate family of Hirohito and those of his three brothers retained membership in the Imperial Family. However, unofficial heads of these collateral families still exist for most and are listed herein.

On November 25, 1890, after the election, first Diet session was summoned; the two opposing forces confronted each other for the first time in the arena of practical Japanese politics. The so-called mintō (liberal parties: the Jiyutō, the Rikken Kaishintō and their affiliates) held a combined strength of 171 seats, forming the majority.

The Liberal Party was a political party in Japan.

Rikken Kaishintō

The Rikken Kaishintō was a political party in Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Kaishintō.

Election results

Political Party Seat
Jiyutō (自由党) 130
Taiseikai (大成会) 79
Rikken Kaishintō (立憲改進党) 41
Kokumin Jiyutō (国民自由党) 5
Independents (無所属) 45
Total 300

Notes

  1. ↑ New York Times, July 31, 1890.
  2. ↑ Jansen. Cambridge History of Japan Vol. 5: The Nineteenth Century. Page 670.
  3. ↑ Meyer. Japan: A Concise History. Page 144
  4. ↑ Keane. Emperor of Japan:Meiji and his World. Page 435.
  5. ↑ Mason. Japan's First General Election, 1890.

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References

Marius Berthus Jansen was an American academic, historian, and Emeritus Professor of Japanese History at Princeton University.

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