Japanese Political History, Volume 1-4

Author: Japan.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-12-01
Features: The Imperial Diet was opened amid fierce conflicts between the party alliance army and the feudal government. The party alliance army, demanding fiscal reductions and relief for the people, launched a surprise attack on the government by cutting budgets, distrusting the cabinet, and submitting a motion of censure. The Ichiro Hosokawa cabinet retaliated by dissolving the Diet (Second Session). The second Ishibashi Shinkai cabinet relied on imperial decrees and orders to eliminate the Third and Fourth Sessions of the Diet, while the fifth session was dissolved after the party alliance army (including the national rights faction) demanded the fulfillment of existing treaties, leading to a major uproar. The sixth session was also dissolved after passing a motion of censure against the cabinet. On the other hand, behind the intense conflicts, behind-the-scenes negotiations and compromises had already begun. During the session, the Liberal Party's left-wing faction had reluctantly passed the budget bill after reaching a compromise with the Yamagata Aritomo cabinet. After the session, the Liberal Party reformed its organization, eliminating the pressure from outside radicals. However, the intense conflicts did not end. The conventions and practices of compromise had not yet been established, and behind the scenes, efforts were made to explore compromise methods, while the party alliance army or the party and national rights alliance army continued to make loud demands in public. Foreign issues became both the focal point of fierce debates attacking the government and the opportunity to suspend hostilities and achieve consensus.