1892 Japanese general election

none Empire of Japan parliamentary 1892 Japanese general election 15 February 1892 1890 Japanese general election 1890 March 1894 Japanese general election Mar 1894 All 300 seats in the House of Representatives 151 130x130px Itagaki Taisuke.jpg Itagaki Taisuke Liberal Party (Japan, 1890) 130 94 36 3x4.svg Chūō Club FFEF6C – 81 New Shigenobu Okuma 2.jpg Ōkuma Shigenobu Rikken Kaishintō 41 38 3 3x4.svg Dokuristu Club FF8800 – 31 New 3x4.svg F2E671 Kinki Club – 12 New Prime Minister Prime Minister after election Matsukata Masayoshi Independent politician Matsukata Masayoshi Independent politician General elections were held in Japan on 15 February 1892 to elect the members of the House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan. Background After the 1890 general elections 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. 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. However, the elections became 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 with strong support for the opposition Liberal Party.W. Scott Morton, J. Kenneth Olenik. Japan: Its History and Culture, p.163. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004, 0-07-141280-8 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.Richard H. Mitchell. Political Bribery in Japan, p.16. University of Hawaii Press, 1996, 0-8248-1819-9 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.November 2021 Electoral system As with the 1890 elections, the electorate was based on limited suffrage, with only male citizens 25 years of age and over, who had paid 15 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. Results Despite the violence, the mintō (liberal parties) – the Liberal Party, Rikken Kaishintō and their affiliates maintained a plurality in the House of Representatives, winning 132 seats as opposed to 124 for pro-government candidates, with 44 independents. Donald Keene Donald Keene 2002 Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852–1912 Columbia University Press 0-231-12341-8 460–464 File:House of Representatives (Japan) 1892.svg Liberal Party 94 –36 Chūō ClubCentral Negotiation Bloc 81 New #FFFF00 Rikken Kaishintō 38 –3 Dokuritsu ClubIndependent Club 31 New #FF8800 Kinki ClubKansai Club 12 New #F2E671 Independents 44 –1 0 398036 434594 Statistics Bureau of JapanStatistics Bureau of Japan Post-election composition by prefecture PrefectureTotalseatsSeats wonLiberalChūōRikken KaishintōDokuritsuKinkiInd.Aichi11150302Akita5410000Aomori4300001Chiba9701100Ehime7303001Fukui4300001Fukuoka9180000Fukushima7400003Gifu7050002Gunma5400001Hiroshima10091000Hyōgo12603030Ibaraki8401102Ishikawa6320100Iwate5131000Kagawa5203000Kagoshima7204001Kanagawa7601000Kōchi4400000Kumamoto8170000Kyoto7100105Mie7112201Miyagi5110102Miyazaki3100101Nagano8321002Nagasaki7250000Nara4000400Niigata13705100Ōita6131001Okayama8301004Osaka10100090Saga4040000Saitama8313001Shiga5030002Shimane6200400Shizuoka8404000Tochigi5401000Tokushima5111101Tokyo12044103Tottori3100200Toyama5010400Wakayama5000500Yamagata6050001Yamaguchi7060001Yamanashi3020001Total300957941331240Note: Party affiliation after the general election. Parliamentary blocs SessionMarch ClubParliamentarians' AssemblyCentral Negotiation BlocIndependent ClubParliamentarians' ClubOriental Liberal PartyAlliance ClubShiba ClubYūraku GroupIndustrial OrganisationInoue GroupKishū GroupComrades' ClubPolicy Research SocietyOsaka FactionNon-AffiliatedTotal3rd6 May - 14 June 18929438953100000000000423004th29 November 1892 - 28 February 1893903811070420189755000212985th29 November 1892 - 28 February 189380420066425009551820619299 Aftermath The government faced an angry lower house when the next Diet term convened on 6 May; even members of the House of Peers were outraged, issuing a resolution condemning the manner in which the elections had been held on 11 May. Shinagawa was forced to resign the following month. Notes References Further reading Jansen, Marius B. Marius Jansen 1989 Cambridge History of Japan: Vol. 5: The Nineteenth Century Cambridge University Press 0-521-22356-3 Fraser Andrew 1995 Japan's Early Parliaments, 1890-1905: Structure, Issues and Trends Routledge 0-415-03075-7 Mason, R.H.P. Richard Mason (historian) 1969 Japan's First General Election, 1890 Cambridge University Press 0-521-07147-X registration https://archive.org/details/japansfirstgener0000maso Meyer Milton Walter 1992 Japan: A Concise History Rowman & Littlefield 0-8226-3018-4 registration https://archive.org/details/japanconcisehist03edmeye Category:Politics of the Empire of Japan Category:General elections in Japan Japan General election Japan Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results