The was a moderate leftist

political party 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 early

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

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 for ...

. The ''Shakai Taishūtō'' was founded by Abe Isoo in July 1932, as a merger of the ''

Shakai Minshūtō The (a more accurate translation of the Japanese name would be "Social People's Party", but this naming is common in English texts) was a political party in Japan between 1926 and 1932. Amongst the three main proletarian parties in Japan at the ...

'' (Socialist Mass Party) with the '' Zenkoku Rōnō Taishūtō'' (National Labour-Farmer Mass Party). In a period of increasing extremism in politics, the new party attempted to maintain a middle-of-the road approach which inevitably resulted in a confused policy. On one hand, the ''Shakai Taishūtō'' supported

agrarian reform Agrarian reform can refer either, narrowly, to government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of agricultural land (see land reform) or, broadly, to an overall redirection of the agrarian system of the country, which often includes land r ...

and pushed for improvement in the lot of the farmers by cutting the military budget; on the other hand, it cultivated ties with the '' Tōseiha'' political faction within the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...

, and supported Japanese aggression in

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym "Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East ( Outer ...

. The ''Shakai Taishūtō'' advocated increased international cooperation and opposed Japan's withdraw from the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by ...

, but at the same time supported the invasion of China in 1937. It was the only leftist party allowed to function in the 1930s, and it emerged as the third-largest 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 ...

, with 36 seats after the 1937 General Election. The party received support from a wide cross-section of the electorate, including

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Co ...

shop owners resentful of the ''

zaibatsu is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertically integrated business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period unt ...

'', salaried-workers, and some minor bureaucrats. However, the basic split within the ''Shakai Taishūtō'' internally between supporters of

social democracy Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to prom ...

versus

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

came to a head after the vote to expel Saitō Takao from the Diet arose after he sharply criticized the conduct of the Imperial Japanese Army and its actions on the Asian mainland. Members of the party who had abstained from the motion to purge Saitō were expelled for "unpatriotic sentiments", causing chairman Abe Isoo to resign as well. The remainder of the party grew increasingly nationalistic and militaristic, and was absorbed into 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 i ...

in 1940.Sims. ''Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation''. Page 216.

Election results

References

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakai Taishuto 1932 establishments in Japan Anti-capitalist political parties Anti-communist organizations in Japan Anti-fascist organizations Centre-left parties in Asia Defunct political parties in Japan Political parties established in 1932 Political parties disestablished in 1940 Politics of the Empire of Japan Shōwa Statism Social democratic parties in Japan