The was a short-lived

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 ideological or p ...

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 Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

History

The ''Kenseikai'' was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the ''

Rikken Dōshikai The Rikken-Dōshi Kai ( ja, 立憲同志会, , Association of Comrades of the Constitution) was a political party active in the Empire of Japan in the early years of the 20th century. It was also known as simply the Dōshikai. Founded by Prime Mi ...

'' (led by Katō Takaaki), '' Chūseikai'' (led by Ozaki Yukio) 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 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 i ...

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, and ...

. The party was supported financially by the Mitsubishi ''

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 ...

,'' due to family ties with Katō Takaaki. Party leaders included

Hamaguchi Osachi Hamaguchi Osachi (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , also Hamaguchi Yūkō, 1 April 1870 – 26 August 1931) was a Japanese politician, cabinet minister and Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931. Nicknamed the due to his dignified demeanor and mane- ...

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 sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

per advice provided by the ''

genrō was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras in Japanese history. The institution of ''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 o ...

instead. In protest, the ''Kenseikai'' initiated a no confidence motion, 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 f ...

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 with the ''Rikken Seiyukai'' (led by

Takahashi Korekiyo Viscount was a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Peers, as Prime Minister of Japan from 1921 to 1922, and as the head of the Bank of Japan and Ministry of Finance. Takahashi made many contributions to Japan's developm ...

), which had 100 seats, and the '' Kakushin Club'' (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 The Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in for ...

, 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 3,341,00 ...

) 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 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 Se ...

, 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'' in June 1927 to form the '' Rikken Minseitō''.

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