Japanese general election, 1892

Japanese general election, 1892
All 300 seats to the House of Representatives ; 151 seats were needed for a majority
Prime Minister before election; Matsukata Masayoshi ; Independent	Subsequent Prime Minister ; Matsukata Masayoshi ; Independent

Last updated April 11, 2019

The Japanese General Election of 1892(第2回衆議院議員総選挙,Dai-nikai Shūgiin Giinsōsenkyō) was the Empire of Japan’s second general election for members of the House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan, held on February 15, 1892.

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.

History and background

After the 1890 general election for the lower house of the Diet of Japan, the elected members proved much less amenable to government persuasion than had been anticipated by Itō Hirobumi and other members of the Meiji oligarchy. Rather than docilely rubber stamp legislation issued from the House of Peers and the genrō, the leaders of the lower house used the only leverage granted to them under the Meiji Constitution: withholding budgetary approval to show resistance. This stalemate led to earlier than anticipated dissolution of the government and new elections. Emperor Meiji expressed concern that if the same people were elected again, the same problem would recur, and suggested that regional offices encourage good people to run for office.^[1]

Prince Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese statesman and genrō. A London-educated samurai of the Chōshū Domain and an influential figure in the early Meiji Restoration government, he chaired the bureau which drafted the Meiji Constitution in the 1880s. Looking to the West for legal inspiration, Itō rejected the United States Constitution as too liberal and the Spanish Restoration as too despotic before ultimately drawing on the British and German models, especially the Prussian Constitution of 1850. Dissatisfied with the prominent role of Christianity in European legal traditions, he substituted references to the more traditionally Japanese concept of kokutai or "national polity", which became the constitutional justification for imperial authority.

The Meiji oligarchy was the new ruling class of Meiji period Japan. In Japanese, the Meiji oligarchy is called the domain clique.

Home Minister Shinagawa Yajirō interpreted this as a condemnation of political party activity, and sent memorandums to all regional government offices encouraging the dismissal of men deeply involved in political party activity. He also instructed the police to deal severely with any acts of bribery and intimidation. Ironically, the 1892 election was the most violent in Japanese history, with numerous riots, in which 25 people were killed and 388 wounded. Violence was particularly severe in areas of the country in which support for the opposition Liberal Party (Jiyutō) was strong^[2] Encouraged by Prime Minister Matsukata Masayoshi, Shinagawa arrested candidates he deemed “disloyal”, and had gangs of toughs molest voters and burn opposition politicians' property. Prefectural governors and police chiefs were secretly ordered to disrupt campaigns of "disloyal" opposition politicians and to aid pro-government supporters.^[3] Ballot boxes were stolen in Kōchi Prefecture, and voting was made impossible in parts of Saga Prefecture; violations were most conspicuous in these two prefectures, Ishikawa and Fukuoka.

Viscount Shinagawa Yajirō was a Chōshū Domain samurai, who became Home Minister in early Meiji period Japan.

A political party is an organized group of people, often with common views, who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. The party agrees on some proposed policies and programmes, with a view to promoting the collective good or furthering their supporters' interests.

The Liberal Party was a political party in Japan.

As with the 1890 election, the electorate 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 434,594. The number of candidates for office was 900. Voter turnout was 91.54%.^[4]

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.

Despite the violence, the so-called mintō (liberal parties)- the Jiyutō, the Rikken Kaishintō and their affiliates) maintained their majority in the House of Representatives, winning 132 seats as opposed to 124 for pro-government candidates, with 44 independents.^[5]

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

The government faced an angry lower house when the next Diet term convened on May 6; even members of the House of Peers were outraged, issuing a resolution condemning the manner in which the election was held on May 11. Shinagawa was forced to resign the following month.^[3]

Results

Political Parties	Seats
Jiyutō (自由党)	94
Rikken Kaishintō (立憲改進党)	38
Chuo Club(中央交渉会)	81
Dokuritsu Club(独立倶楽部)	31
Kinki Club(近畿倶楽部)	12
Independents (無所属)	44
Total	300

Notes

↑ Keene, Donald. (2002). Emperor of Japan: Meiji and his World, p. 460.
↑ W. Scott Morton, J. Kenneth Olenik. Japan: Its History and Culture, p.163. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004, ISBN 0-07-141280-8
1 2 Richard H. Mitchell. Political Bribery in Japan, p.16. University of Hawaii Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8248-1819-9
↑ Mason, R.H.P. Japan's First General Election, 1890.
↑ Keene, pp. 461-464.

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References

Jansen, Marius B. (1989). Cambridge History of Japan: Vol. 5: The Nineteenth Century. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-22356-3.
Fraser, Andrew (1995). Japan's Early Parliaments, 1890-1905: Structure, Issues and Trends. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-03075-7.
Keene, Donald (2002). Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852-1912. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12341-8. ISBN 978-0-231-12340-2; OCLC 46731178
Mason, R.H.P. (1969). Japan's First General Election, 1890. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07147-X.
Meyer, Milton Walter (1992). Japan: A Concise History. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-8226-3018-4.

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[1] Keene, Donald. (2002). Emperor of Japan: Meiji and his World, p. 460.

[2] W. Scott Morton, J. Kenneth Olenik. Japan: Its History and Culture, p.163. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004, ISBN 0-07-141280-8

[Mitchell-3] 1 2 Richard H. Mitchell. Political Bribery in Japan, p.16. University of Hawaii Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8248-1819-9

[4] Mason, R.H.P. Japan's First General Election, 1890.

[5] Keene, pp. 461-464.

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