The was a political party in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

History

The party was established on 16 November 1945 by a group of 273 MPs, of whom 89 had been

Rikken Minseitō was one of the main political parties in pre-war Empire of Japan. It was commonly known as the ''Minseitō''. History The ''Minseitō'' was founded on 1 June 1927, by a merger of the ''Kenseikai'' and the ''Seiyu Hontō'' political parties. I ...

members and 46 from

Rikken Seiyūkai 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,David S. Spencer, "Some Thoughts on the Political Development of the Japane ...

; many had been elected with the backing of the

Imperial Rule Assistance Association The , or Imperial Aid Association, was the Empire of Japan's ruling organization during much of World War II. It was created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 12 October 1940, to promote the goals of his ("New Order") movement. It evolved ...

in the 1942 elections.Haruhiro Fukui (1985) ''Political parties of Asia and the Pacific'', Greenwood Press, pp522–524

Machida Chūji was a politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war Empire of Japan. Biography Machida was born in Akita as the fourth son to a samurai in the service of Kubota Domain. However, his father died when he was three years old. He was raised by his ...

was appointed party president after the post was turned down by

Keizo Shibusawa Viscount was a Japanese businessman, central banker, philanthropist and folklorist. He was the 16th Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ). Early life Shibusawa was born in Tokyo. He was the grandson of Shibusawa Eiichi.Tamaki, Norio. (1995). ...

. Due to it high proportion of members involved in wartime politics, it was the most affected party in the post-war purge, with 238 MPs and all but one its central committee members barred from politics. In the 1946 elections the party won 110 seats, becoming the second-largest party in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. It was given four ministerial positions in the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

government led by

Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...

, including

Kijūrō Shidehara Baron was a pre–World War II Japanese diplomat and politician. He was Prime Minister of Japan from 1945 to 1946 and a leading proponent of pacifism in Japan before and after World War II. He was the last Japanese Prime Minister who was a m ...

, who was selected as the party's new leader following the elections. Talks later in the year with the

Cooperative Democratic Party The Cooperative Democratic Party ( ja, 協同民主党, ''Kyōdō Minshutō'') was a political party in Japan. History The party was established as the Cooperative Democratic Club on 24 May 1946 as a merger of the Japan Cooperative Party and se ...

about a merger failed, as did efforts in February 1947 to negotiate a merger with the Liberal Party, although a few Liberal MPs led by

Hitoshi Ashida was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan in 1948. He was a prominent figure in the immediate postwar political landscape, but was forced to resign his leadership responsibilities after a corruption scandal (Shōwa Denkō Jik ...

subsequently joined the JPP, together with a group from the

National Cooperative Party The was a centrist political party in Japan. History The party was established on 8 March 1947 as a merger of the Cooperative Democratic Party and the National Party following seven months of talks.Haruhiro Fukui (1985) ''Political parties of ...

. At the end of March the decision was taken to dissolved the JPP and form the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

References

{{Japanese political parties Defunct political parties in Japan Political parties established in 1945 1945 establishments in Japan Political parties disestablished in 1947 1947 disestablishments in Japan