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Japanese
Democracy in Pre-War (FAQ)
by Watanabe Ryuji / translated by Ooba Toshio |
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Question
1 Answer
1 The election of the House of Representative Last year in 2003 was the 43rd General Election. The 1st Election took place on July 1, 1890 just after Japanese Imperial Constitution came into force on November 29, 1989 (the Promulgation on February 11, 1888). As the result the election, no less than 170 representatives of Constitutional Liberal party and Constitutional Democratic parties, both were anti-government parties, out of 300 the House members. Democracy should be assured because of the elections, and the Diet which runs with many parties. If not, saying People's Democratic or real democracy is only a word (or fiction). Then even if there are people's opinions against the policy or idea of the present governor (administration), and if most of the people support the ideas, the elections, the Diet and many different parties could move the national administration. There were few such democratic countries like western countries and Japan on those days. For example, present China now steps forward to freedom of economy, and in fact in some cities, towns and villages free elections are introduced. However, as for Chinese administration itself there aren't any elections or any other parties, which have any chance of a turnover of regime. Another case of South Korea it was only in 1987 the president Roh Tae Woo was chosen with free election, and it was in 1991 the representatives of the local congress were chosen freely. So of course Japan was only the Constitution nation, who had a national assembly, in Asia for the first time. (As for official documentary constitution so-called "Midhat Constitution (or the Ottoman Constitution)" in Turkey had been enforced for one year since December 23, 1876. It was the first one in Asia.) In the Meiji era Cabinet took the policies of " Enhancing National Prosperity and Defense" and "Implanting, Fostering and Encouraging Industry". The other hand the most members of the Diet demanded "Restoration of People's Resource" and "Curtailment of Expense". Those were main reasons of conflicts between Cabinet and The Diet, and so every Cabinet had had a hard time to deal with them except the periods of Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese war. As for foreign affairs and national defense, it was out of the right of the Diet to say anything in the Meiji Constitution. But however, representatives often gave inquiries against the Cabinet at Question and Answer time of plenary session or budget session. It was accepted as precedent for people to give any opinion about administration [things relating to the national fate like opening door to foreign countries in 1853]. Unless the Cabinet answered back to their objections and satisfied them, the budget or new law never passed at session without the Diet approval. By the use of Meiji Constitution the influence of political parties grew stronger step by step. Of course the military budget was never able to pass without the Diet approval, and also the project of the national defense system needed the support of the people through the Diet. For example Liberal party and Constitutional Democratic party disagreed the 1893 budget and strongly conflicted with the Cabinet. Prime minister Ito didn't think of getting more supporters by force of dissolution, so he asked the Emperor to arbitrate between the Diet. The emperor made a decision to cut the Court budget for 6 years. This announcement moved the Diet, and they decided 10 % cut of the salary of government officials, too. So the two war-ship construction budget issue solved by applying their cutting money. At promulgating the constitution suffrage was limited for men who paid more tax than certain money. After that limited tax money came down little by little, and in 1925 voters opened for any men more than 25 years old and candidates for more than 30. Therefore the number of voters came up to four(4) times more than the first time. However it seems not to be democracy because of no female suffrage from now on. But Japanese system didn't fall behind from any western countries'. For example Great Britain most advanced country of assembly politics gave suffrage for no tax payers in 1918, it's 7 years before Japan in 1925. Even if it was only male suffrage, Japanese general suffrage was the first event in Asian countries. It was in 1928 that Great Britain adapted male and female suffrage. In USA, it was in 1920 for female suffrage, but it was in 1960 that poll tax as the requirement of suffrage, in order to exclude Negroes joining in politics, was completely abolished. As for female suffrage Japan and Western countries introduced around pre or post second world war.(e.g. France in 1945) As of Switzerland female suffrage admitted in 1971. Question
2 Answer
2 The third Katsura Cabinet at the first year of Taisho(1911) dissolved because of been criticized by "Seiyuukai (literally Political Colleague Club)" and "Kokumintou(the People's party)". Taro Katsura who was famous and a big man for the prime minister brought Japan to win at the Russo-Japanese war, but at that time he had to be resigned only by denouncement of public opinion and speech. Since broken-up- and- gathering-again among parties from Taisho to early Showa, there wasn't any fixed Two Great Party, but in principle "Rikken (Constitutional) Seiyuukai" and "Kenseikai (Constitutional Government Club)" of the Two Great Party Government had settled and from the Takashi Hara Cabinet gave birth to the first political party's cabinet in 1918. After it's almost custom that the main party in the House of Representatives has taken the part of prime ministry, too. The political structures in those days were in principle as same as present political ones; sectarianisms in the parties, and conflicts or advertisement to seize the government, procedure of elections, constituency, one's election turf, campaign speech, supporters, buying votes, volunteer campaign, etc. After free election started, some of the representatives were at loss because of no young nor beautiful wives of theirs, because his wife may had to show herself giving a speech or bowing to the electorate. Each name of prime minister and his party is as follows:
The prime minister Inukai of Political Colleague Club was killed at "5.15 event" in 1932. After "2.26 Event" occurred in 1936, no political party cabinet had lasted until the end of this war. But it didn't mean that the Diet had been suppressed by the military authorities. At a session of the House of Representative there was Rep. Hamada's speech which criticized the military men interfering into politics in the light of motives of those events young officers and soldiers complaining about ministration. At the session of the House of Representatives at January 21, 1937, there were question & answer between Rep. Hamada Kunimatsu and Army Minister Terauchi Toshiichi, and the session fell into disorder. At first Re. Hamada criticized against military authorities like above, and Min. Terauchi answered like below, Army
Minister Terauchi : Your question speech sounds like a little
insulting military people? *note Hara-kiri meeans "ritual suicide practiced by Japanese samurai in former times as an honorable from of death". However, there was tendency that the Diet in those days cooperatively and aggressively pushed the military continuing the Chino-Japanese war by mood of public opinion. Besides the Diet was stronger stance against the condition of the Peace Treaty with China or British and America than the Administration. After the National All Mobilization Law in1938 the Diet almost stopped the function itself, but there had nothing to do with the military suppression. It's rather the reason why the influence of mass communication or public opinion was too fierce for the Diet men to say anything. Question
3 Answer
3 The Sino-Japanese war on July 1937 lasted long and set off the last war especially against the USA in 1941, and though Japanese establishment became the total war system, but Japanese didn't take the dictatorial one. Dictatorship means one party one nation and the President or the Prime Minister, the General Secretary has no terms of office. On December 1940 the "the Imperial Rule Assistance Association" was founded, but it's not one party one nation like Nazi or communist countries, the true structure was the gathering of different opinion groups or parties and internal conflicts never vanished. For this reason, "the Imperial Rule Assistance Association" came to be regarded as sub-institution of Administration, on September 1931 "the Imperial Rule Assistance Rep. Alliance" was established, and the other member of the House of Rep. separately belonged to "Accompany Club", "Diet Alliance for Enlightening Asian", "the Diet man club", "the Coterie Club" or no sect belongings. The Pacific War began, and during the war in February 1942 Prime Minister Tojoh founded the Conference of Imperial Rule Assistance. Then the conference chose the recommend candidates for the 21st General Election of the House of Representatives in April 1942, it's so called "Imperial Rule Assistance Election". But the result was still 85 non recommended Diet men in spite of 381 recommended ones. The non recommended Diet man like Nakano Seigo, Hatoyama Ichiro, Miki Bukichi, Ashida Kin, and Sasagawa Ryouichi were all anti-Tojoh Cabinet, even though they had different opinions. In the other word the reason such many recommended candidates won the election was Japanese voters thought that they should willingly cooperate with the Administration under such critical conditions. Even such situation 85 non recommended Diet men were able to win the election. For an example, Ozaki Yukio objected against the choosing candidates and gave the open letter to the Tojoh Cabinet asking quitting it. During election he often gave the criticizing speech on his campaign, but he won the election. For another example Saito Takeo, who gave the denounced speech against the Military and the Cabinet at the Diet and was expunged form the House of Representatives in 1940, got the maximum voters at Tajima constituency and reinstated. The Saito's speech resulted in his exclusion in 1940 was down below. This shorten quotation may be too short for you to understand. Anyway, it wasn't only anti-war speech, but also the speech considering about realistic policy and critical international situation in "the law of the jungle prevails". In the expunge resolution of Saito one third of Diet men denied the vote, and 7 men gave denial. "Where on earth does this Sino-Japanese War bring to? When will the war end? How long does the war last?" "Though the Cabinet declared to deal with the war, tell us concretely how to deal with it. Hiding under the rhetoric of Holy War, you blind your eyes to the nation sacrifices. Saying "International Justice." Saying "Morality Diplomacy" or "Coexistence and Co-prosperity", "For the World Peace", etc. Those slogans are gone only in vain just like asking for the moon and if the result comes to loose one chance in a million [to negotiate with Kuomintang government] and mislead the nation's future, you politicians would never ever be able to repent for the guilty even by committing 'hara-kiri'". After the election Prime Minister Tojoh established the Club of Imperial Rule Assistance, in which most of Diet men joined. Since the club consisted of "Accompany Club", "Diet Alliance for Enlightening Asian", "the Diet man club", "the Coterie Club" or the other Diet men, it looked like becoming one nation one party (a totalitarian country). But in fact the club members' opinions were not unified and there were anti-Tojoh Diet men and power struggle between Political Colleague Club and Welfare Party or conflict between some party members and members of no belonging to any party. Prime Minister Tojoh concurrently held the posts of Minister of Army, the Chief of the General Staff, Foreign Minister, and the Minister of Education, Commerce and Industry, Munitions. Besides he was exceptionally Prime Minster as well as a military man, though it's a rule that a cabinet man had to retire of the military position. In fact he was one of the most powerful and dictator-like Prime Minster in Japanese history. Even such a powerful man he was not a dictator and he had no right to meddle into the naval strategy. When Saipan Island was occupied by the USA, he had to resigned because of taking the responsibility. Modern war is the total war including the economic power and in order to win the war the nation have to be framed up the adequate national systems according with the total war. And once war betting the destiny of the nation is broken, it is, in a sense, a natural duty that the nation as well as politicians should cooperate with the national policy. It is the same to the USA at the Pacific war, the wartime system of the USA was more efficient than Japanese one. In this mean the USA is more like militaristic than Japan. Moreover President Roosevelt had stronger right of decision and used it. As for the US president the reason we don't call him a dictator is he is chosen by election and he has a term of office. Hitler gained the power by election or national vote, and became Prime Minster and "the President" but he didn't have no term of office, and so nobody gave objections against him. The office terms of Stalin, Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek were no limit and almost lifetime-long, and nobody could give any objections or demand to change of regime with any peaceful measures. It is a quite natural tendency that the nation take some kind of unreasonable measures, when it comes near to be defeated. But Japan at the end of the war was not like the dictator nations like German, the USSR or Rep. of China. Additionally,
the reasons why Ozaki Yukio and Saito Takao are now highly evaluated
are not only they had strong belief and real encouragement never influenced
by time, but also the fact that Japan lost the war. On the other hand
there were Diet men who had nothing to do with time's influence and
really believed the Japanese victory doing the best to cooperate with
the government. We should refrain from easily judging 'good man' or
'bad man' from the result (lost the war) or present value. |
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