The Washington herald., 1908-04-11
POLITICS IN JAPAN


by FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
politics from one end to the other. for
this is a great campaign year In the
Land of the Rising sun Just as It is in
the United States A new Diet Is 20 be
elected I'm June, and for the first time IN
the eighteen years that Japan has had
a parliamentary government, there is a
red-hot issue Of principle at stake. Here
tofore election 70 the Diet has been
merely a matter of personal following,
petty factlonalism. and bribery. Now
come the commercial interests OF the
nation demanding a seat az the council
table where they have never been repre-
sented. In old Japan the people were
divided into four classes, and the lowest
of these we're the merchants. Commerce
was looked upon as degrading. and the
ambition TO make money was nothing
short OF criminal.
The chambers of commerce OF the
country frequently organized a united
chambers, and memorialized the govern
ment in opposition to the increase of
taxes contemplated by the Diet. In this
protest they were Joined by the labor
organizations. The government called the
leaders on the carpet and told them that
the chambers Of commerce were busi-
ness organizations, and that If they so
far forgot themselves as to meddle in
politics. their charters would be revoked.
WhereupoB the chambers withdrew, but
every individual member in every city
began at once 10 conduct an individual
campaign for the election of a member
in the Diet who would represent the
commercial interests. regardless of po-
lltical party lines.
Political parties as they are known in
the United States do not exist here. but
they probably will be called into being
by this very campaign. When the parlia-
mentaTy government was first granted
the necessity for standing together for
the new form OF administration made
party divisions dangerous. and Prince Ito,
the George Washington of Japan, frOwned
upon them. The cabinets were made up
OF ministers from every important fac
ton. This condition continued nominally
until quite recently, and while cabinet
was really party affair, it was not until
a few months ago that all the ministers
were actually Of one group. The cabinet
headed by Marquis SaiOnji gave TO the
party called the Seiyukwai, or Constitu-
tionalists, the first exclusive control Of
the government by party. That its hold
is only by sufferance Is shown by the fact
that Il can muster but i77 votes out of
the total Of 377 in the lower house, and
must always have at least twenty-four
votes from the other party groups or
f,-
the other parties are: The Shimpo-to, or
Progressists, ninety-three: the Daido Club.
sixty; the Yukowai. thirty-five, and inde-
pendent, twelve. In the House of Peers
there is no party division.
These so-called parties have no exist
ence in fact outside OF the lower house
Of the DIET. Members are returned from
the various districts for one reason or
another. and their party alignment is
fixed after they get to Tokyo. This leaves
much room for bribery and corruption,
and II is notorious that there are many
members of the lower house-in fact, a
whole group Of them-who may be had
by the highest bidder, and in no other
way. II having been virtually decided
that Japan is to have government by
party cabinets responsible to the Diet,
It is becoming important that the corrup-
ton In the parliament be purged, and
that the people themselves take an in
terest in the views and principles of DO
litical organizations, as well as of indi-
viduals.
This interest IS being aroused by the
commercial movement, and by the news
papers. so that In the elections this sum
mer, candidates will declare their party
affiliations IN q much more distinct fash
ion than has been done heretofore, and
the people viii begin to align themselves.
In this evolution. the Japanese are fol-
lowing closely the trend of early Amer
lean history. When our government, un-
der the Constitution, was first organized,
President Washington. as did Prince Ito,
feared the effect Of party dissension at a
time when It was necessary for all hands
to pull together 10 save the Constitution
itself. Therefore. ne invited into his