appeared 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 n ...

after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, and gradually increased in importance after the promulgation of 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 ...

and the creation 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 ...

. During the Taishō period, parliamentary democracy based on

party politics 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 ...

temporarily succeeded in Japan, but in the 1930s the political parties were eclipsed by the military, and were dissolved in the 1940s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Early movements

Soon after the Meiji Restoration, various political associations arose. These included groups of disgruntled unemployed ''

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

'' seeking either to overthrow the government and return to the days of

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...

, or to invade

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

(see '' Seikanron''), whereby their skills as warriors would be in demand again. These also included urban intellectuals and rural landowners who were part of the liberal

Freedom and People's Rights Movement The (abbreviated as ) or Popular Rights Movement was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy in the 1880s. It pursued the formation of an elected legislature, revision of the Unequal Treaties with the United States and Europea ...

seeking a

national assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

and written national

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

. Both groups were viewed with equal suspicion and disdain by the

Meiji oligarchy The Meiji oligarchy was the new ruling class of Meiji period Japan. In Japanese, the Meiji oligarchy is called the . The members of this class were adherents of ''kokugaku'' and believed they were the creators of a new order as grand as that est ...

, who reacted by imposing several repressive laws on public assembly, the press and on political discussion. The Meiji government had come to power by an elite of ''samurai'' from certain clans ('' hanbatsu'') and 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 ...

'' felt threatened by anything looking ever remotely like

republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. ...

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose g ...

. During this period,

Itagaki Taisuke Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' ...

and

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, ...

were leading figures in the legitimization of political parties. Itagaki created Japan's first political party, the

Aikoku Kōtō The was a political party in Meiji-period Japan. The ''Aikoku Kōtō'' was formed in January 1874 by Itagaki Taisuke, Etō Shinpei, Gotō Shōjirō and others as part of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Its purpose was to petition ...

, in 1873 in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

to petition for an elected assembly, and a similar regional party based in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, the

Aikokusha The was a political party in the early Meiji-period Japan from 1875 to 1880. The Aikokusha was formed in February 1875 by Itagaki Taisuke, as part a liberal political federation to associate his '' Risshisha'' with the Freedom and People's R ...

. These groups were the basis of the Jiyutō (Liberal Party), founded in 1881 as Japan’s first nationally based party. Ōkuma founded the

Rikken Kaishintō The was a political party in Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Kaishintō. The Kaishintō was founded by Ōkuma Shigenobu on 16 April 1882, with the assistance of Yano Ryūsuke, Inukai Tsuyoshi and Ozaki Yukio. It received fi ...

in 1882, mainly from the urban elites. In reaction, the oligarchs fought back by the creation of their own party the same year, the

Rikken Teiseitō The was a short-lived conservative political party in the Meiji period Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Teiseitō. History The Teiseitō was founded in March 1882, by the editor of the ''Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun,'' Fukuch ...

. Meanwhile, the disgruntled former ''samurai'' vented their dissatisfaction at the state of affairs in a series of revolts, including the

Saga Rebellion The was an 1874 uprising in Kyūshū against the new Meiji government of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Saga no ran" in . It was led by Etō Shinpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen. Background Following the 1868 ...

of 1872, and others, cumulating in the

Satsuma Rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and b ...

. After crushing these revolts by military force, the government also 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 ''kokuta ...

of 1887. The

was issued two years later in 1889.

Domination by the oligarchs

The creation of the

in November 1890 was marked by intense rivalry between the ''

'', who reserved the right to appoint 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 ...

and the members of the cabinets regardless of what the elected government wanted, and the political parties who were powerless because of their inability to unite and thus control the House of Representatives. The Rikken Kaishintō gradually lost support, and was overtaken by the pro-oligarch until it was reformed as the Shimpotō in 1896. None of the political parties, whether pro- or anti-oligarch, had any power in the House of Peers, nor did they have significant power in the countryside, as key local officials were appointed directly by the bureaucracy in Tokyo.

Emergence of party government

The Jiyutō and the Shimpotō united in 1898 against Prime Minister

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 ...

's proposed new taxation plans, and formed the

Kenseitō The was a political party in the Meiji period Empire of Japan. History The ''Kenseitō'' was founded in June 1898, as a merger of the Shimpotō headed by Ōkuma Shigenobu and the Liberal Party (Jiyūtō) led by Itagaki Taisuke, with Ōkuma as pa ...

, which emerged with a majority of seats in Diet in the subsequent election. Itō resigned, and was replaced by

, making the first time that a political party had assumed power. Although the Ōkuma government collapsed within months, a precedent had been set. The Kenseitō evolved into the Kenseitō Hontō, followed by the

Rikken Kokumintō The Rikken Kokumintō ( ja, 立憲国民党, , "Constitutional Nationalist Party") was a minor political party in the Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Kokumintō. History The ''Kokumintō'' was founded in March 1910, by a merger ...

in 1910. Itō Hirobumi joined into the fray, by organizing the Rikken Seiyukai in 1900 to combine elements from the former Jiyutō with elements from the oligarchs and bureaucrats. The more conservative elements rallied around

Katsura Taro Katsura or Katsuura may refer to: Architecture *The Katsura imperial villa, one of Japan's most important architectural treasures, and a World Heritage Site Botany *Katsura, the common name for Cercidiphyllum, a genus of two species of trees nativ ...

, and his

Rikken Doshikai Rikken may refer to: *Rikken Dōshikai, Japanese political party active in the early years of the 20th century *Rikken Kaishintō, political party in Meiji period Japan *Rikken Kokumintō, political party in Meiji period Japan *Rikken Minseito, one ...

, which was reconstituted as the

Kenseikai 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), '' Chūseikai'' (led by Ozaki Yukio) and the '' ...

in 1916. From 1922 onwards, politics was a rivalry between the Seiyukai and the Kenseikai, rather than political parties and oligarchs. During this period, a bewildering array of parties advocating

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes th ...

Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

agrarianism Agrarianism is a political and social philosophy that has promoted subsistence agriculture, smallholdings, and egalitarianism, with agrarian political parties normally supporting the rights and sustainability of small farmers and poor peasants ag ...

appeared. All provoked hostility from the mainstream political parties, oligarchs and military alike, and many were either banned or went underground soon after formation. Following the successful

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and the emergence of

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

s in Japan, the Nihon Shakai Shugi Domei (1920),

Japan Communist Party The is a left-wing to far-left political party in Japan. With approximately 270,000 members belonging to 18,000 branches, it is one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party advocates the establishment of a democr ...

(1922), and other left-wing parties emerged.

Ascendancy of the military

The main threat to

representative democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

in Japan proved to be the Japanese military, rather than the left-wing parties. Under the Meiji Constitution, the Minister of the Army (who served as Minister of War) and

Minister of the Navy Minister of the Navy may refer to: * Minister of the Navy (France) * Minister of the Navy (Italy) * Minister of the Navy (Japan) * Minister of the Navy (Netherlands) * Minister of the Navy (Spain) * Minister of the Navy (Turkey) * Minister of ...

were appointed by their respective services, and not by the Prime Minister. The military was also directly answerable only to the Emperor, and not to the elected government. In 1912, a law restricting the eligibility to Minister of the Army or Navy to active duty generals or admirals had the unforeseen effect of giving the military a trump card over the government when Prime Minister

Uehara Yusaku Uehara (written: lit. "upper plain" or lit. "planted plain") is a Japanese surname. In Okinawan language, it's pronounced as 'Wiibaru. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese golfer *, Japanese classical pianist *, Japanese singer *, ...

resigned over failure of the Diet to pass his budget requesting funds for two additional army

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

s. The Army's refusal to appoint a successor brought down the government.

Taishō democracy

The military did not immediately utilize its prerogative to control the formation of the Cabinet, so in the Taishō period, several administrations from 1918–1922 and 1924–1932 operated largely free from military intervention. In 1927, the Kenseikai reorganized itself as 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. ...

, which from 1927 to 1932 alternated power with the Seiyukai. Prime Ministers continued to be chosen by ''genrō''

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 ...

(Itō Hirobumi’s protégé), but his choices during his period reflected political party strength in the Diet. These included the premiership of

Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Representatives. Hara ...

, Takahashi Korekiyo,

Kiyoura Keigo Count was a Japanese politician. He was the Prime Minister of Japan in 1924, during the period which historians have called the " Taishō Democracy". Early life Kiyoura was born Ōkubo Fujaku in Kamoto, Higo Province (part of present-day ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, Hamaguchi Osachi, and

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 ...

Shōwa military rule

The number of voters increased fourfold after the passage of universal male suffrage in 1925, and with the increase in expenses required for election, the influence 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 ...

'' on the political parties also increased. At the beginning of the

Shōwa era The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the Taishō era. The pre-1945 and post-war Shōwa periods are almos ...

, this collusion between politicians and government officials, led to an increase in high-profile corruption scandals and increasing dissatisfaction with the elected government by the public in general and by the military in particular. Some military used this dissatisfaction to denounce 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 ...

and promote a

Shōwa Restoration The was promoted by Japanese author Kita Ikki in the 1930s, with the goal of restoring power to the newly enthroned Emperor Shōwa and abolishing the liberal Taishō democracy. The aims of the "Shōwa Restoration" were similar to the Meiji Rest ...

. The assassination of Prime Minister

in the May 15 Incident (1932) at the hands of young Navy radicals proclaiming the need for political reform, started the rapid decline in the power and influence of the political party in Japan. After the assassination of Inukai, every subsequent Prime Minister was either from the military, or was someone with

militaristic Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

and/or

ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...

ic credentials. As the military influence on society increased towards the end of the 1930s, the

Imperial General Headquarters The was part of the Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States ...

launched a large scale invasion of China. Pressure then mounted from the military leadership for the remaining political parties to merge into a single organization, thus giving the government a single voice, referred to as ''Hakkō ichiu'' ("eight crown cords, one roof"). This change to 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 ...

was effected in 1940 under Prime Minister

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 ...

, when all remaining political parties joined 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 ...

Timeline

*1874:

(''Public Society of Patriots'') founded *1881: Aikoku Kōtō and

are continued by the Jiyutō (''Liberal Party of Japan'') *1882:

(''Constitutional Progressive Party'') founded by

Okuma Shigenobu Okuma or Ōkuma may refer to: Surname *Ōkuma Shigenobu (大隈重信) (1838 – 1922) 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan, founder of Waseda University * Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress of Nigerian descent Other uses *Okuma Corporation, a manufact ...

*1882:

founded by conservatives *1887:

*1889:

*1890: Opening of the

*1890: Rikken Jiyutō established *1891: Rikken Jiyutō renamed Jiyutō *1896: Rikken Kaishintō is continued by the '

Shimpotō was a short-lived political party in Meiji period Japan. The Shimpotō was founded by Ōkuma Shigenobu in March 1896, as a merger of the Rikken Kaishintō and minor political parties to offset a temporary alliance between Ōkuma's rival, Itō Hi ...

(''Progressive Party'') *1898: Rikken Jiyutō and Shimpotō merge to form the

(''Constitutional Politics Party '') *1900: Kenseitō is taken over by the oligarchy and renamed the ''Constitutional Friends Association'' ( Rikken Seiyukai) *1900: Public Order & Police Law of 1900 *1910: A faction of the former Kenseitō forms the

(''Constitutional National Party '') *1912: Start of the Taishō period *1913: A faction of the Rikken Kokumintō forms 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 ...

''(Constitutional Friendship Association)'' *1916: Rikken Dōshikai becomes the

''(Constitutional Association)'' *1920: Foundation of the Nihon Shakai Shugi Domei *1922: Foundation of the

*1925:

of 1925 *1926: Foundation of the Nihon Rōnōtō ''(Japan Labor-Farmer Party),'' Rōdō Nōmintō ''(Labor-Farmer Party''), and the Shakai Minshutō ''(Socialist People's Party'') *1928

March 15 Incident The was a crackdown on socialists and communists by the Japanese government in 1928. Among those who were arrested in the incident was the Marxist economist Kawakami Hajime. Background Although the Japan Communist Party had been outlawed and for ...

*1929: April 16 Incident *1922: Rikken Kokumintō merges into

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 ...

(''Reform Club''), which later merges with the Rikken Seiyutō. *1925: Passage of universal male suffrage laws *1926: Start of the

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 ...

*1927:

formed from the Kenseikai *1930: Prime Minister Hamaguchi assassinated *1931: March Incident and

Imperial Colors Incident The , also known as the , was an abortive coup d'état attempt in Japan on 21 October 1931, launched by the ''Sakurakai'' secret society within the Imperial Japanese Army, aided by civilian ultranationalist groups. Background and History Having ...

*1932: May 15 Incident; Prime Minister Inukai assassinated *1933: proto-fascist

Kokumin Dōmei was a Japanese fascist political party in Japan active in the 1930s. In 1931, Home Minister Adachi Kenzō spoke out strongly in support of the Imperial Japanese Army’s unauthorized incursions into Manchuria and against the diplomatic poli ...

formed *1936: February 26 Incident: Prime Minister Okada Keisuke escapes assassination *1936: Fascist Tōhōkai formed *1937:

Popular Front Incident The refers to the Imperial Japanese government's suppression of a perceived threat from the political left after the fall of Nanjing during the Shōwa period. During the incident, approximately 400 people were arrested by the authorities between ...

*1940:

formed

Alphabetical listing of pre-war political parties

This is a partial listing of

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 pre–

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 ...

, 1874-1874 founded by

, 1875 & 1878-1891, founded by

* Jiyutō Party: organized by

& Goto Shojiro *

1916-1925, founded by

Kato Takaaki Kato or Katō may refer to: Places *Kato, Guyana, a village in Guyana *Katō, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan *Katō District, Hokkaido, a district located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan *Katowice, a city in Southern Poland, ...

1889-1910, founded by

: 1932-1940, founded by Nakano Seigō *

(1922–1925; to 1935 underground) by Yamakawa Hitoshi &

Fukumoto Kazuo was a Japanese Marxist and one of the most important theoreticians of the Japanese Communist Party during the 1920s. Biography Fukumoto was born in Tottori Prefecture to a moderately prosperous landowning family. He studied law at Tokyo ...

* Nihon Musantō:1937-1937, founded by Suzuki Musaburō * Nihon Ronōtō:1926-1928 *

: 1913-1916, founded by

Katsura Tarō Prince was a Japanese politician and general of the Imperial Japanese Army who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1901 to 1906, from 1908 to 1911, and from 1912 to 1913. Katsura was a distinguished general of the First Sino-Japanes ...

: 1927-1940, founded by Hamaguchi Osachi *

: 1882-1896, founded by

* Rikken Seiyukai: 1900-1940, founded by

* Rikken Teisetō: 1882-1883, founded by Fukuichi Gen'ichirō * Rōdō Nōmintō:1926-1928 * Shakai Minshutō:1926-1932, founded by Abe Isoo * Shakai Taishutō: 1932-1940, founded by Abe Isoo *

: 1886-1889, founded by

* Tōhōkai: 1936-1940, founded by Nakano Seigō Note that this list does not include the ultranationalist organizations, which (although they had a political agenda) did not participate directly in the electoral process by running their own candidates for public office. Likewise, this list does not include the political factions within the Japanese military, which also were not true political parties.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Political Parties Of The Empire Of Japan * Politics of the Empire of Japan Empire of Japan