The Rikkenminsei-tō Party: Ideological Positioning and Political Evolution in the Power Structure of the Japanese Empire 1927–1940
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
Abstract
The Constitutional Democratic Party (Rikkenminsei-tō) was founded in Japan on June 1, 1927, after the collapse of the “Three Constitutional Defense Parties” (Goken sampa naikaku) government coalition, as a result of the merger of the ruling Constitutional Politics Association (Kensei-kai), which had lost its status, and the opposition Orthodox Constitutional Friends Party (Seiyūhon-tō). Under Japan’s new system of universal suffrage, the liberal centrist Rikkenminsei-tō received massive support in the election. However, it did not win a majority in the Diet, so it initially became the most powerful opposition party. In 1929, after a series of corruption scandals forced the resignation of the government of the Association of Friends of Constitutional Government (Rikkenseiyū-kai) party, which was supported by the Сourt, the top government bureaucracy and the military, the Rikkenminsei-tō party was able to form its own government and briefly became the ruling party. In November 1930 Hamaguchi Osachi, the head of the party’s Constitutional Democratic Cabinet, was seriously wounded in a terrorist attack and died the following year. His successor as the party and government leader, Wakatsuki Reijirō, was unable to bring to heel the high command of the armed forces and resigned from the government in December 1931 after the military operation to invade Manchuria, which he opposed. From then on Rikkenminsei-tō, which maintained the rating of the most popular party among the voters, remained the main opposition party until its forced liquidation in 1940. The method of problem-chronological analysis of factual material allows us to assert that the main reason why Rikkenminsei-tō obeyed the government’s order to liquidate itself was its electoral dependence on the “middle class”, which was not ready for uncompromising confrontation with the government. In addition, the former leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Party received important government posts under the new conditions of the single-party political system, which satisfied their personal political ambitions.
How to Cite
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Constitutional Democratic Party (Rikkenminsei-tō); Hamaguchi Osachi; Japan; political history; Wakatsuki Reijirō
Henshall K. (2013), Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945, Scarecrow Press, Lanham (Maryland). https://doi.org/10.5771/9780810878723
Scalapino R. A. (1975), Democracy and the Party Movement in Prewar Japan: The Failure of the First Attempt, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles and London.
Shin G.-W. and Sneider D. C. (2011), History Textbooks and the Wars in Asia: Divided Memories, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203831663
阿部 恒久, 佐藤 能丸 (2000), 通史と史料日本近現代女性史, 芙蓉書房出版, 東京.
安藤 英男 (1983), 幻の総理大臣: 床次竹二郎の足跡, 學藝書林, 東京.
荒木 三作 (1979), 歴代農林大臣: 農政百年史, 日刊農業新聞社, 東京.
藤木 邦彦 (1964), 体系日本史叢書, 冊三: 政治史, 山川出版社, 東京.
藤原 彰, 吉田 裕, 伊藤 悟 (2007), 天皇の昭和史, 新日本出版社, 東京.
浜口 雄幸 (2000), 浜口雄幸集: 論述・講演篇 / 川田 稔, 未来社, 東京.
猪俣 敬太郎 (1960), 中野正剛, 吉川弘文館, 東京.
井上 敬介 (2013), 立憲民政党と政党改良: 戦前二大政党制の崩壊, 北海道大学出版会, 札幌.
伊藤 隆 (1999), 日本の近代, 冊五: 北岡伸一, 中央公論新社, 東京.
金谷 俊一郎 (2014), 日本人なら知っておきたい日本史の授業, PHP 研究所, 東京.
河合 敦 (2006), 目からウロコの近現代史, PHP 研究所, 京都.
川村 一彦 (2022a), 歴史の回想・浜口雄幸, 歴史研究会, 東京.
川村 一彦 (2022b), 歴史の回想・立憲民政党, 歴史研究会, 東京.
川村 一彦 (2022c), 歴史の回想・上海事変, 歴史研究会, 東京.
前田 英昭 (2003), 国会の「機密費」論争, 高文堂出版社, 東京.
三井事業史本 (2001), 冊 3下, 三井文庫, 東京.
村川 一郎 (1978), 日本保守党小史: 自由民権と政党政治, 教育社, 東京.
内閣百年の步み (1985), 大巧, 東京.
中澤 俊輔 (2012), 治安維持法: なぜ政党政治は「悪法」を生んだか, 中央公論新社, 東京.
日本近現代史辞典 (1978), 東洋經濟新報社, 東京.
丹羽 巖 (1994), 英米法制と日本の政治機構, 成文堂, 東京.
農林水產省百年史: 資料編 (1979), 冊四, 神奈川県立川崎図書館, 横浜市.
大江 可之 (1987), 元総理三木武夫: 議員五十年史, 日本国体研究院, 東京.
沖田 哲也, 櫻田 會 (1989), 総史立憲民政党: 資料編, 冊 一-二, 学陽書房, 東京.
戦前外交の曲折と満州事変 (2001), 学校図書出版, 東京.
色川 大吉 (1980), 岐路に立つ昭和日本, 三省堂, 東京.
REFERENCES
Henshall K. (2013), Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945, Scarecrow Press, Lanham (Maryland). https://doi.org/10.5771/9780810878723
Scalapino R. A. (1975), Democracy and the Party Movement in Prewar Japan: The Failure of the First Attempt, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles and London.
Shin G.-W. and Sneider D. C. (2011), History Textbooks and the Wars in Asia: Divided Memories, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203831663
Abe T. and Satō Y. (2000), Tsūshi to shiryō Nihon kin gendai josei shi, Fuyōshobō shuppan, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Andō H. (1983), Maboroshi-no sōri-daijin: Tokonami Takejirō-no ashiato, Gakugeyshorin, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Araki S. (1979), Rekidai nōrin daijin: nōsei hyakunenshi, Nikkan nōgyō shinbun-sha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Fujiki K. (1964), Taikei Nippon-shi sōsho, V. 3: Seiji-shi, Yamakawa shuppansha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Fujiwara A., Yoshida Y. and Itō S. (2007), Ten’nō-no Shōwa-shi, Shin Nihon shuppan-sha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Hamaguchi Y. (2000), Hamaguchi Yūkō shū: ronjutsu・kōen-hen / Kawada Minoru, Mirai-sha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Inomata K. (1960), Nakano Seigō, Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Inoue K. (2013), Rikkenminsei-tō to seitō kairyō: Senzen nidaiseitōsei-no hōkai, Hokkaidō-daigaku shuppan-kai, Sapporo. (In Japanese).
Itō T. (1999), Nihon-no kindai, V. 5: Kitaoka Shin’ichi, Chūōkōron-shinsha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Kanaya S. (2014), Nihonjin nara shitte okitai Nipponshi-no jugyō, PHP Kenkyūjo, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Kawai A. (2006), Me-kara uroko-no kingendai-shi, PHP kenkyūsho, Kyōto. (In Japanese).
Kawamura K. (2022a), Rekishi no kaisō: Hamaguchi Yūkō, Rekishi kenkyūkai, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Kawamura K. (2022b), Rekishi no kaisō: Rikkenminsei-tō, Rekishi kenkyūkai, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Kawamura K. (2022c), Rekishi-no kaisō: Shanhai jihen, Rekishi kenkyūkai, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Maeda H. (2003), Kokkai-no `kimitsu hi’ ronsō, Kōbundō shuppansha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Mitsui jigyō shi hon (2001), V. 3-ka, Mitsui bunko, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Murakawa I. (1978), Nihon hoshutō shōshi: Jiyū minken to seitō seiji, Kyōiku-sha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Naikaku hyakunen-no ho-mi (1978), Daikyō, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Nakazawa S. (2012), Chian iji hō: Naze seitō seiji wa “akuhō”-o unda-ka?, Chūōkōron shinsha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Nihon kingendaishi jiten (1978), Tōyō keizai shinpō-sha, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Niwa I. (1994), Eibeihō-sei to Nihon-no seiji kikō, Seibundō, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Nōrinsuisan-shō hyakunen-shi: shiryōhen (1979), V. 4, Kanagawa kenritsu Kawasaki toshokan, Yokohama. (In Japanese).
Oe Y. (1987), Moto sōri Miki Takeo: Giin gojūnen shi, Nihon kokutai kenkyū-in, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Okita T. and Sakurada A. (1989), Sōshi Rikkenminsei-tō: Shiryō-hen, V. 1–2, Gakuyō shobō, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Senzen gaikō-no kyokusetsu to Manshū jihen (2001), Gakkō tosho shuppan, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
Shirakawa D. (1980), Kiro-ni tatsu Shōwa Nihon, Sanseidō, Tōkyō. (In Japanese).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.