Taishō Democracy was a liberal and democratic trend across the political, economic, and cultural fields in Japan that began roughly after the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

and continued until the end of the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

(19121926). This trend was most evident in the field of politics, famously represented by the and the establishment of the , a

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

in which the party with a majority in

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

organizes the cabinet. The term "Taishō Democracy" has been widely used since the book "" written by Shinobu Seizaburō.

Summary

Establishment

1905 is often chosen to represent the starting year of the Democratic era. 1905 was the year when Bloody Sunday happened in Russia, which subsequently led to the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

. Bloody Sunday was instigated by loss of faith in the Tsarist government as a result of public discontent with the results of the Russo-Japanese War. The combination of the burden on the workers and general populace and the remote and costly war against Japan contributed greatly to the public unrest which sparked the 1905 revolution. Meanwhile, a similar combination existed in Japan. During the war and even before the war, Japanese socialists stated that the war would need sacrifice from the people. Heimin Shinbun pointed out on 14 February 1904 that "The people will suffer for a long time from taxation for the war.". Some Christians and women's liberationists expressed similar anti-war attitudes. The Russo-Japanese war ended in 1905, and the peace treaty was signed. Although Japan won, the general populace was disappointed by the result of the peace treaty. The Japanese people saw the peace treaty, which lacked major Russian territorial cessions and monetary reparations, as foreshadowing more sacrifice without benefits. Public anger toward the government gradually grew, and eventually led to the foundation of the movement against the Russo-Japanese war peace treaty.

Key Events

There is disagreement about which dates constitute the boundaries of the Taishō Democracy, but many historians agree that the following events are crucial to Taishō Democracy. First of all, there was the Russo-Japanese War peace treaty protest movement and the Hibiya incendiary incident that accompanied it. The movement grew across the country and gradually exposed the people's dissatisfaction with their government. Over time, the movement transformed into the Movement to Protect Constitutional Government, thereby igniting the . This was the first instance of a popular movement trying to replace the cabinet in Japanese history, and the Katsura cabinet collapsed only 53 days after its formation. and the establishment of the Hara Cabinet are considered to be a major milestone in Taisho democracy. When the rice riots subsided, the was in full swing and became a nationwide political movement. The was enacted under the subsequent cabinet of . In 1932, , , and launched a campaign to overthrow Kiyoura Keigo's cabinet. The campaign grew into what came to be called the .

Background

Minpon Shugi

Minpon Shugi is one form of democracy based on monarchical sovereignty that the political scientist Yoshino Sakuzo put forward in "". According to this thesis, Minpon Shugi has two main points. First, it is "the policy in exercising political power of valuing the profit, happiness, and opinions of the people." Second, it demands that "in the final determination of policies, the people's opinions must be valued highly." In short, Minpon Shugi does not fully specify where sovereignty lies, and it can coexist with the monarchical system. At that time, people criticized Minshu Shugi, the concept of democracy based on popular sovereignty, because people were afraid of Minshu Shugi violating their monarchical system. Yoshino tried to change the concept of democracy based on people's sovereignty (Minshu Shugi), to a concept of democracy based on monarchical sovereignty (Minpon Shugi), in order to fit "democracy" into Japanese society. After WWI, the Taishō Democracy Movement was led by activists who were inspired by the Minpon Shugi that Yoshino advocated.

National discontent during the war

The Russo-Japanese War caused serious damage to Japan's finances. Japan used foreign debt to start the war. One argument for the reason why Japan won was that the Russian government held back its main force for fear of upsetting its own population. Japanese soldiers were plagued by Russian machine guns and even some who survived were covered all over with wounds. The peace treaty offered by U.S. President Roosevelt achieved "more than expected," said a government-leaning newspaper at the time. On the other hand, the public reaction was the exact opposite. The people had sacrificed a great deal for the Russo-Japanese War. The government had imposed higher taxes on the citizens to pay for the war, and the peasants had had to pay most of their profits in taxes. The tax also dealt a blow to small and medium-sized businesses, and even during the war, the nation's silk cloth manufacturers' associations, wholesale brokers, union representatives, and the retail trade association came to Tokyo to oppose it. The same kind of opposition arose towards the salt monopoly. Thus, dissatisfaction with the war grew from rural areas across the country to urban areas.

Effects of Taishō Democracy

The nation's trend towards universal democracy and independence can be seen as products of Taishō Democracy. These effects can be seen in various in that era, for example:

Politics

People started to express more of their opinions about the nation's decisions. Political movements, forming political parties and the movement for universal suffrage are some examples.

Economy

People demanded a

limited government In political philosophy, limited government is the concept of a government limited in power. It is a key concept in the history of liberalism.Amy Gutmann, "How Limited Is Liberal Government" in Liberalism Without Illusions: Essays on Liberal ...

in order to better protect private economic interests. As a result, the power of capitalists and finance experts got stronger than before. Moreover, people began the movement of abolition of tax and claimed a disarmament.

Education

De-politicized education was also advocated. University leadership and the press became independent of government, and people gained the ability to express their own opinions more freely. Moreover, the increase in the literacy rate allowed people to read more books and get more information.

Women's Activists

The social system of patriarchy still existed in Japan at that time; however, there had been a gradual change to the traditional position of women. Itō Noe, a feminist and editor of the magazine ''Seitō'' ("Bluestocking"), complained that women did not have the same rights as men. Itō Noe, along with other women's activists such as Hiratsuka Raichō and Yoshiya Nobuko, tried to make changes to the system of

male privilege Male privilege is the system of advantages or rights that are available to men on the basis of their sex. A man's access to these benefits may vary depending on how closely they match their society's ideal masculine norm. Academic studies ...

, and aimed for the independence of women.

References

External links

* https://www.facinghistory.org/nanjing-atrocities/nation-building/taisho-democracy-japan-1912-1926 * https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2012/07/29/general/taisho-democracy-pays-the-ultimate-price/#.XulryUX7Ryw {{Empire of Japan Social history of Japan Democracy movements Taishō era Russo-Japanese War Politics of the Empire of Japan Democracy by location Democratization Economy of the Empire of Japan