An Emerging Power, 1895-1919 » Emperor Taisho and Taisho Democracy

A new emperor and a fading generation

Emperor Meiji died on 30 July 1912. His son, Yoshihito, became emperor and the new era was named Taisho, meaning "Great Righteousness". Taisho had been seriously ill as a child and was often unwell as emperor. He did not have his father's authority and never became the powerful figure Meiji had been. From 1921 his son Hirohito acted for him as regent, and Taisho died in December 1926.

The emperor's weakness mattered because of how Japan was really run. The Constitution gave the emperor great power, but in practice it was used by a small group of leaders from Satsuma and Choshu, the oligarchs who had led the Meiji Restoration. The most senior of them were called the genro. They were not mentioned in the Constitution at all. They simply advised the emperor and, above all, chose who would be prime minister.

Key terms:

• Genro: the elder statesmen of the Meiji Restoration who advised the emperor and chose the prime ministers.
• Party cabinet: a government led by the leader of a political party, with ministers from that party.
• Taisho Democracy: the name given to the years of the 1910s and 1920s when political parties and public opinion had more influence on government.

By 1912 the first generation was dying. Ito Hirobumi had been shot dead in 1909 (see the lesson on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, the Russo-Japanese War and Korea), and others were getting old. The genro could still pick a prime minister, but each year there were fewer of them, and the parties in the Diet, especially the large Seiyukai, were stronger. From 1901 the post had mostly passed between two men, Katsura Taro (from Choshu) and Saionji Kinmochi (a court noble who led the Seiyukai).

The political crisis, 1912-13

The genro then chose Katsura Taro as prime minister again. Many people saw this as the army and the clan leaders from Choshu and Satsuma bringing down a government that had the support of the Diet. A protest movement grew under the slogan "Protect the Constitution, overthrow clan government". It was led by two Diet politicians, Inukai Tsuyoshi and Ozaki Yukio, and was backed by newspapers and business people. Angry crowds gathered around the Diet building.

Katsura resigned in February 1913, after about two months. It was a historic moment: public protest had forced out a prime minister. The next government, led by Admiral Yamamoto Gonnohyoe, relied on the Seiyukai and changed the rules so that retired officers could be service ministers. In theory the army could no longer wreck a cabinet so easily, although the rule was rarely used.

The rice riots, 1918

The next big shock came from ordinary people. Prices rose sharply during the First World War, and rice, the main food, became too expensive for many families. In July 1918, in a fishing town in Toyama prefecture, women protested at rice being shipped away. By August the protests had spread to towns and cities all over Japan, and troops were sent out to restore order. Many people were arrested.

The government of Terauchi Masatake, an army general from Choshu, had failed to protect people from high prices. It resigned in September 1918. The genro had to find someone the public would accept.

Hara Kei, the first commoner prime minister

The choice was Hara Kei. He became prime minister on 29 September 1918 and led the government as head of the biggest party in the Diet, the Seiyukai. Nearly all his ministers were Seiyukai members; only the army, navy and foreign ministers came from outside. He was also a commoner, not a noble or a leader from Satsuma or Choshu. He came from the north, from a region whose lords had fought against the emperor's side in the Restoration. People called him the "Great Commoner".

The genro still chose him, but they chose him because the Diet and the public would no longer accept anyone else. Hara used his position to spend more on railways and schools. He did not, however, support votes for all men, which he thought too soon. In November 1921 he was stabbed to death at Tokyo Station by a young railway worker. (The fight over the vote is covered in the lesson on the vote, the labour movement and the Public Security Preservation Law.)

Change and continuity

Common mistakes

Exam-style question

Explain TWO ways in which government in Japan in 1918-21 under Hara Kei was different from government in Japan in the 1890s. [6 marks]

Remember: each way must say something about both periods. One way on its own cannot score more than half marks.