Social Democratic Party (Japan, 1926)
Encyclopedia
The Social Democratic Party (a more accurate translation of the Japanese name would be "Social People's Party", but this naming is common in English texts) was a political party
in Japan
between 1926 and 1932. Amongst the three main proletarian parties in Japan at the time, the Social Democratic Party occupied a rightist position.
The party was founded on December 5, 1926 by the Japan Federation of Labour (Sōdōmei), other trade unions and the Independent Labour Association, an organization of moderate leftist intellectuals. Abe Isō
was elected chairman of the party. Suzuki Bunji, Nishio Suehiro, Akamatsu Katsumaro, Shimanaka Yuzō and Kagawa Toyohiko
were Central Committee
members of the party. The elements which formed the new party had belonged to the Labour-Farmer Party
, which opposed the inclusion of leftists in the latter party. Sodomei and other trade union had pulled out of the Labour-Farmer Party on October 24, 1926. However, only four days after its foundation the new party suffered its first split, as leftwing socialists broke away and formed the Japan Labour-Farmer Party
.
In March 1927 the General Federation of Japanese Peasant Unions
was formed as the agrarian wing of the party. was a farmers' organization in Japan
. A women's organization linked to the party, the Social Women's League, was founded in November 1927. It changed its name to Social Democratic Women's League in July 1928.
Regarding the Chinese question, the party opposed the policies of the Japanese government, demanding a recognition of the Nanking government and encouragement of the Three Principles
of Sun Yat-sen
. In May 1927 the Social Democratic Party sent Miyazaki Ryusuke and Matsuoka Komakichi to Shanghai
, where they met with Chiang Kai-shek
. A solidarity agreement between the Social Democratic Party and the Kuomintang
was signed.
Miyazaki Ryusuke left the party in 1929, forming the National Democratic Party
.
The party won two seats in the 1930 national election.
The party merged with the National Labour-Farmer Masses Party in July 1932, forming the Social Masses Party.
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 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
between 1926 and 1932. Amongst the three main proletarian parties in Japan at the time, the Social Democratic Party occupied a rightist position.
The party was founded on December 5, 1926 by the Japan Federation of Labour (Sōdōmei), other trade unions and the Independent Labour Association, an organization of moderate leftist intellectuals. Abe Isō
Abe Iso
was a well known Japanese Christian socialist, parliamentarian and pacifist.Abe was born in Fukuoka, and studied at Doshisha University and abroad, including at the University of Berlin, before becoming a Unitarian preacher. He taught at the Waseda University from 1899...
was elected chairman of the party. Suzuki Bunji, Nishio Suehiro, Akamatsu Katsumaro, Shimanaka Yuzō and Kagawa Toyohiko
Toyohiko Kagawa
thumb|right|200px|At Princeton Theological Seminarythumb|right|200px|Great Kantō earthquake, 1923thumb|right|200px|In America, 1935 was a Japanese Christian pacifist, Christian reformer, and labour activist. Kagawa wrote, spoke, and worked at length on ways to employ Christian principles in the...
were Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
members of the party. The elements which formed the new party had belonged to the Labour-Farmer Party
Labour-Farmer Party
The was a political party in the Empire of Japan. It represented the left wing sector of the legal proletarian movement at the time. Oyama Ikuo was the chairman of the party. At the time the party was banned by the government in 1928, it was estimated to have around 90,000 members in 131 local...
, which opposed the inclusion of leftists in the latter party. Sodomei and other trade union had pulled out of the Labour-Farmer Party on October 24, 1926. However, only four days after its foundation the new party suffered its first split, as leftwing socialists broke away and formed the Japan Labour-Farmer Party
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 March 1927 the General Federation of Japanese Peasant Unions
General Federation of Japanese Peasant Unions
The was a farmers' organization in Japan. The organization was formed on March 7, 1927. It was an initiative of the Social Democratic Party to gain ground amongst the peasantry...
was formed as the agrarian wing of the party. was a farmers' organization in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. A women's organization linked to the party, the Social Women's League, was founded in November 1927. It changed its name to Social Democratic Women's League in July 1928.
Regarding the Chinese question, the party opposed the policies of the Japanese government, demanding a recognition of the Nanking government and encouragement of the Three Principles
Three Principles of the People
The Three Principles of the People, also translated as Three People's Principles, or collectively San-min Doctrine, is a political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen as part of a philosophy to make China a free, prosperous, and powerful nation...
of Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
. In May 1927 the Social Democratic Party sent Miyazaki Ryusuke and Matsuoka Komakichi to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, where they met with Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
. A solidarity agreement between the Social Democratic Party and the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
was signed.
Miyazaki Ryusuke left the party in 1929, forming the National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (Japan, 1929)
The National Democratic Party was a political party in Japan, led by Miyazaki Ryusuke. Miyazaki broke away from the Social Democratic Party in 1929, after having drifted towards conservative positions. The party contested the 1930 elections, with Miyzaki unsuccessfully running in the Fourth district...
.
The party won two seats in the 1930 national election.
The party merged with the National Labour-Farmer Masses Party in July 1932, forming the Social Masses Party.