Seitō no Tanjō (The Emergence of Political Parties - The Foundations for Japan's Multi-Party System)

Although political parties continue to hold an important place in contemporary politics, I hesitate to assert that they will remain central for several more centuries. Technological advances make it much easier for voters to access policy information and directly express their opinions without the mediation of political parties. Hence, it is understandable that some believe that political parties may hinder free discussion and decision-making. To consider what political parties may become in the future, it is helpful to revisit their historical development.
 
This book explores the process through which political parties gained legitimacy. In Japan, similar to other countries, political parties were initially viewed as self-interested factions working against the public good.

Party politicians, therefore, countered this view by arguing that political parties were essential for realizing the public interest and ensuring political stability. It is well known that the anti-governmental People's Rights Movement emphasized the importance of opposition parties. However, the first chapter of this book highlights the crucial role of the pro-government Constitutional Imperial Party. Established by a famous journalist, Fukuchi Gen'ichirō, it played a crucial role in the formation of a multi-party system in Japan. Faced with criticism from the opposition, the Constitutional Imperial Party defended the necessity of competition between multiple political parties as a means to ensure that diverse interests and opinions were publicly expressed. The Party’s influence remained limited because of the government's refusal to offer direct support. However, it undoubtedly contributed to the public acceptance of a multi-party system in Japan.
 
This book also reveals that, in the 1880s, there was widespread suspicion of party organizations, as people feared that they would sacrifice individual freedom for party unity and intensify political conflicts. Interestingly, this sentiment shifted dramatically after the opening of Parliament in 1890. Political parties began to force their members to vote in unions on the floor of the parliament. Within a few years, the system of competition between multiple parties took firm root, although at the expense of individual politicians’ spontaneity and independence.
 
The experiences of Japanese political parties during the Meiji era highlight the difficulty of sustaining healthy political conflict while avoiding the pitfalls of entrenched division. I hope that this book provides readers with new insights to reconsider the role of political parties from a historical perspective.
 

(Written by: MATSUMOTO Shun / July 15, 2025)