Japanese general election, 1892

General elections were held in Japan on February 15, 1892.

After the first election in 1890, the Diet members proved much less amenable to government persuasion than had been anticipated by Itō Hirobumi, who designed the Meiji Constitution; they used their budgetary powers to show resistance. The frustrated government leaders did not hesitate to use more extreme methods, so that the 1892 election, the most violent in Japanese history, was accompanied by bribery and the use of police force, in which 25 people were killed and 388 wounded. [W. Scott Morton, J. Kenneth Olenik. "Japan: Its History and Culture", p.163. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004, ISBN 0071412808] Encouraged by prime minister Matsukata Masayoshi, interior minister Shinagawa Yajiroh arrested candidates and had gangs of toughs molest voters and burn anti-government politicians' property. Prefectural governors and police chiefs were secretly ordered to disrupt campaigns of "disloyal" anti-cabinet politicians and to aid government supporters.Richard H. Mitchell. "Political Bribery in Japan", p.16. University of Hawaii Press, 1996, ISBN 0824818199] Ballot boxes were stolen in Kōchi Prefecture, and voting was made impossible in parts of Saga Prefecture; violations were most conspicuous in these two prefectures, Ishikawa and Fukuoka. Despite the violence, the populist parties maintained their majority in the House of Representatives, winning 163 seats as opposed to 137 for pro-government forces. [Donald Keene. "Emperor of Japan", p.461. Columbia University Press, 2002, ISBN 0231123418] The government faced an angry lower house in the next Diet term; even members of the House of Peers were outraged, and Shinagawa was forced to resign the following month.

Results

Notes

References

* Robert A. Scalapino (Ed. by) Robert E. Ward, "Political Development in Modern Japan", (Princeton University Press, USA, 1973)

* Mahendra Prakash, "Coalition Experience in Japanese Politics: 1993-2003", Dissertation 2004 (Barcode-11371), JNU Library, [http://libvtlssrv.jnu.ac.in:8000/cgi-bin/gw_45_1/chameleon/] , New Delhi, India