The was one of the main

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

in the pre-war

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent form ...

. It was also known simply as the ''Seiyūkai''. Founded on September 15, 1900, by

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the '' genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated sa ...

,David S. Spencer, "Some Thoughts on the Political Development of the Japanese People", ''The Journal of International Relations'' (January 1920) p325 the ''Seiyūkai'' was a pro-government alliance of bureaucrats and former members of the '' Kenseitō.'' The ''Seiyūkai'' was the most powerful political party in the Lower House of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...

from 1900 to 1921, and it promoted

big government Big government is a pejorative term for a government or public sector that is considered excessively large or unconstitutionally involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector. The term may also be used specifically in relatio ...

and large-scale public spending. Though labeled " liberal" by its own members, it was generally conservative by modern definitions. It often opposed social reforms and it supported bureaucratic control and militarism for the purpose of winning votes. It viewed 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. ...

'' as its main rival. The ''Seiyūkai'' came into power in October 1900 under the 4th Itō administration. Under its second leader,

Saionji Kinmochi Prince was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1906 to 1908 and from 1911 to 1912. He was elevated from marquis to prince in 1920. As the last surviving member of Japan's '' genrō,'' he was the most ...

, it participated in the Movement to Protect Constitutional Government from 1912 to 1913. It was the ruling party under the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Yamamoto Gonnohyōe from 1913 to 1914. Cabinet minister (and later 4th party president) Takahashi Korekiyo helped reinforce its ties with the '' zaibatsu,'' especially the Mitsui financial interests. The 3rd party president, Hara Takashi, became Prime Minister in September 1918, and assigned every cabinet post except for the Army Minister, Navy Minister and

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

to members of the ''Seiyūkai''. In the 1920, the party reached the peak of its popularity. After Hara's assassination in 1921, a large block of party members defected to form the ''

Seiyūhontō The Seiyūhontō (, lit. ''Orthodox Constitutional Friends Party'') was a political party in Japan. It was active from 1924 until 1927. History The party was established on 29 January 1924 following a split in the Rikken Seiyūkai over Prime Min ...

'' in the 1924 General Election; however, the ''Seiyūkai'' retained enough seats to dominate the cabinet of its 5th party president, General

Tanaka Giichi Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician, cabinet minister, and the Prime Minister of Japan from 1927 to 1929. Early life and military career Tanaka was born as the third son of a low-ranking ''samurai'' family in the se ...

from 1927 to 1929. While in the opposition during the ''Minseitō''-dominated cabinet of Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi, the ''Seiyūkai'' attacked the ratification of the

London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...

of 1930 as against Article 11 of the Meiji Constitution, which stipulated the independence of the military from civilian control. After winning the 1932 General Election under Inukai Tsuyoshi, ''Seiyūkai'' formed a cabinet, floated the yen and conducted policies to revive the economy. However, after Inukai’s assassination in the May 15 Incident of 1932, factionism within the party limited its effectiveness. In 1940 it voted to dissolve itself into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association as part of

Fumimaro Konoe Prince was a Japanese politician and prime minister. During his tenure, he presided over the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and the breakdown in relations with the United States, which ultimately culminated in Japan's entry into World W ...

's efforts to create a

one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other partie ...

, and thereafter ceased to exist.

Ichirō Hatoyama was a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1954 to 1956. A conservative, Hatoyama helped oversee the 1955 merger of the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party to create the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), of which Hatoy ...

, who had been a ''Seiyūkai'' member of the House of Representatives, led some former party members into the 1945 Liberal Party.

Election results

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rikken Seiyukai Defunct conservative parties Defunct political parties in Japan Conservative parties in Japan Liberal conservative parties Political parties established in 1900 Political parties disestablished in 1940 Politics of the Empire of Japan 1900 establishments in Japan 1940 disestablishments in Japan