Shakai Taishuto
Encyclopedia
The was a moderate leftist political party
in early Showa period
Empire of Japan
.
The Shakai Taishutō was founded by Abe Isoo in July 1932, as a merger of the Shakai Minshutō
with the Zenkoku Rōnō Taishutō
. In a period of increasing extremism in politics, the new party attempted to maintain a middle-of-the road approach, which inevitably resulted in a confused policy.
On one hand, the Shakai Taishutō supported agrarian reform
and pushed for improvement in the lot of the farmers by cutting the military budget; on the other hand, it cultivated ties with the Tōseiha
political faction within the Imperial Japanese Army
, and supported Japanese aggression in Manchuria
. The Shakai Taishutō advocated increased international cooperation and opposed Japan's withdraw from the League of Nations
, but at the same time supported the invasion of China in 1937
.
It was the only leftist party allowed to function in the 1930s, it emerged as the third largest party in the Lower House
of the Diet of Japan
, with 36 seats after the 1937 General Election
. The party received support from a wide cross-section of the electorate, including middle class
shop owners resentful of the zaibatsu
, salaried-workers, and some minor bureaucrats. However, the basic split within the Shakai Taishutō internally between supporters of social democracy
versus national socialism came to a head after the vote to expel Saitō Takao
from the Diet arose after he sharply criticized the conduct of the Imperial Japanese Army and its actions on the Asian mainland. Members of the party who had abstained from the motion to purge Saitō were expelled for “unpatriotic sentiments”, causing chairman Abe Isoo to resign as well. The remainder of the party grew increasing nationalistic and militaristic, and was absorbed into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association in 1940.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in early Showa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
.
The Shakai Taishutō was founded by Abe Isoo in July 1932, as a merger of the Shakai Minshutō
Social Democratic Party (Japan, 1926)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in Japan between 1926 and 1932...
with the Zenkoku Rōnō Taishutō
Japan Labour-Farmer Party
The was a socialist political party in Japan between December 1926 and December 1928. During its existence, it occupied a centrist position in the divided socialist movement.-Foundation:...
. In a period of increasing extremism in politics, the new party attempted to maintain a middle-of-the road approach, which inevitably resulted in a confused policy.
On one hand, the Shakai Taishutō supported agrarian reform
Agrarian reform
Agrarian reform can refer either, narrowly, to government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of agricultural land or, broadly, to an overall redirection of the agrarian system of the country, which often includes land reform measures. Agrarian reform can include credit measures,...
and pushed for improvement in the lot of the farmers by cutting the military budget; on the other hand, it cultivated ties with the Tōseiha
Toseiha
' was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army, active in the 1920s and 1930s.Led by General Kazushige Ugaki, along with Hajime Sugiyama, Koiso Kuniaki, Yoshijirō Umezu, Tetsuzan Nagata and Hideki Tōjō, the Tōseiha was a grouping of officers united primarily by their opposition to the...
political faction within the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
, and supported Japanese aggression in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. The Shakai Taishutō advocated increased international cooperation and opposed Japan's withdraw from the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, but at the same time supported the invasion of China in 1937
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
.
It was the only leftist party allowed to function in the 1930s, it emerged as the third largest party in the Lower House
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
of the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
, with 36 seats after the 1937 General Election
Japanese general election, 1937
General elections were held in Japan on 31 March 1937. Rikken Minseitō emerged as the largest in Parliament, with 179 of the 466 seats. Voter turnout was 73.3%.-Results:...
. The party received support from a wide cross-section of the electorate, including middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
shop owners resentful of the zaibatsu
Zaibatsu
is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
, salaried-workers, and some minor bureaucrats. However, the basic split within the Shakai Taishutō internally between supporters of social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
versus national socialism came to a head after the vote to expel Saitō Takao
Saito Takao
was a Japanese politician and longtime member of the Imperial Diet from Hyōgo Prefecture. He was a member of the Rikken Minseito party. On February 2, 1940, he made a speech in which he sharply questioned the prosecution and justification of Japan's "holy war" in China. For this, he was expelled...
from the Diet arose after he sharply criticized the conduct of the Imperial Japanese Army and its actions on the Asian mainland. Members of the party who had abstained from the motion to purge Saitō were expelled for “unpatriotic sentiments”, causing chairman Abe Isoo to resign as well. The remainder of the party grew increasing nationalistic and militaristic, and was absorbed into the Imperial Rule Assistance Association in 1940.