The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan.

History

The ''Kenseikai'' was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the '' Rikken Dōshikai'' (led by

Katō Takaaki Count was a Japanese politician, diplomat, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1924 until his death on 28 January 1926, during the period which historians have called " Taishō Democracy". He was also known as Katō Kōmei. Early life Katō, w ...

), '' Chūseikai'' (led by

Ozaki Yukio Ozaki (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese actor *, Japanese poet *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese journalist *, Japanese footballe ...

) and the '' Kōyū Club'' (a minor opposition group). Led by Katō Takaaki, the new party was united by its opposition to the policies of the ruling '' Rikken Seiyūkai'' under Prime Minister

Ōkuma Shigenobu Marquess was a Japanese statesman and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy. He served as Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan in 1898 and from 1914 to 1916. Ōkuma was also an early advocate of Western science and culture in Japan, ...

. The party was supported financially by the Mitsubishi '' zaibatsu,'' due to family ties with Katō Takaaki. Party leaders included Hamaguchi Osachi and

Adachi Kenzō was a statesman, politician and cabinet minister in Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan. Biography Adachi was the son of a samurai in the service of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto Domain. After the Meiji Restoration, he studied at the academ ...

. The merger gave the ''Kenseikai'' a total of 198 seats in the Lower House of the Diet of Japan, thus forming a majority, and raised the expectation that Katō Takaaki would become the next Prime Minister. However, the position of Prime Minister was a direct appointment from the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (emp ...

per advice provided by the '' genrō'', and in this case, the ''genrō'' unexpectedly nominated General

Terauchi Masatake Gensui Count Terauchi Masatake ( ja, 寺内正毅), GCB (5 February 1852 – 3 November 1919), was a Japanese military officer, proconsul and politician. He was a '' Gensui'' (or Marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army and the Prime Minister ...

instead. In protest, the ''Kenseikai'' initiated a

no confidence motion A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

, which subsequently dissolved the Diet and led to the political isolation of the ''Kenseikai'' for almost a decade. During its period in the opposition, the Kenseikai strongly opposed the

Siberian Intervention The Siberian intervention or Siberian expedition of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers, Japan, and China to support White Russian fo ...

and pushed for greater rights for labor unions.Garon. The State and Labor in Modern Japan p. 63–65 In the 1924 General Election, the ''Kenseikai'' secured 150 seats, making it the largest single party in the Lower House, but without a majority. Katō agreed to form a

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

with the ''Rikken Seiyukai'' (led by Takahashi Korekiyo), which had 100 seats, and the ''

Kakushin Club The Kakushin Club (, "Reformist Club") was a political party in Japan. History The party was established on 8 November 1922 as a merger of the Rikken Kokumintō (29 National Diet members), the Mushozoku Club (14 Diet members) and three indepen ...

'' (led by

Inukai Tsuyoshi Inukai Tsuyoshi ( ja, 犬養毅, 4 June 1855 – 15 May 1932) was a Japanese politician, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1931 to his assassination in 1932. Inukai was Japan's second oldest prime minister while serving, as he ...

), which had 30 seats. This three-party coalition (''Goken Sampa Naikaku'') was the first ruling coalition government in Japanese history, and used its majority to focus on domestic political reform and a moderate foreign policy. It pushed strongly for rule under the Meiji Constitution, without influence or control by the ''genrō''. It also favored universal male suffrage (which led to the

General Election Law The was a law passed in Taishō period Japan, extending suffrage to all males aged 25 and over. It was proposed by the Kenseitō political party and it was passed by the Diet of Japan on 5 May 1925. The law increased the electorate from 3,341,000 ...

) and much needed reforms in labor laws and in the economic situation for farmers. However, despite its liberal image, the coalition passed the

Peace Preservation Law The was a Japanese law enacted on April 22, 1925, with the aim of allowing the Special Higher Police to more effectively suppress socialists and communists. In addition to criminalizing forming an association with the aim of altering the ''kokut ...

in 1925. Following Katō's death, the party was led by

Wakatsuki Reijirō Baron was a Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan. Early life Wakatsuki Reijirō was born on 21 March 1866, in Matsue, Izumo Province (present day Shimane Prefecture), the second son of samurai foot soldier (''ashigaru'') Okumura S ...

, but his cabinet was unable to weather the

Shōwa financial crisis The was a financial panic in 1927, during the first year of the reign of Emperor Hirohito of Japan, and was a foretaste of the Great Depression. It brought down the government of Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijirō and led to the domination of ...

of 1927. The ''Kenseikai'' merged with the ''

Seiyū Hontō Voice acting in Japan is an industry where actors provide voice-overs as characters or narrators in media including anime, video games, audio dramas, commercials, and dubbing for non-Japanese films and television programs. In Japan, and a ...

'' in June 1927 to form the ''

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. ...

''.

Election results

References

* * * Jansen, Marius B. (2000). ''The Making of Modern Japan.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 44090600
*Mason, RHP. ''A History of Japan''. Tutte Publishing (1987). * {{Authority control Defunct liberal political parties Defunct political parties in Japan Liberal parties in Japan Political parties established in 1916 Political parties disestablished in 1927 1916 establishments in Japan 1927 disestablishments in Japan Politics of the Empire of Japan