自由民権運動
Soon after the Meiji Restoration, various political associations arose. These included groups of disgruntled unemployed "samurai" seeking either to overthrow the government and return to the days of feudalism, or to invade Korea (see "Seikanron"), whereby their skills as warriors would be in demand again, These also included urban intellectuals and rural landowners who were part of the liberal Freedom and People's Rights Movement seeking a national assembly and written national constitution.