+612 9045 4394
Hardcover
Published: 30th April 1992
ISBN: 9780415004978
Number Of Pages: 268
Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan adopted many Western practices and institutions, including a constitution in 1889. "The Establishment of the Japanese Constitutional System" discusses how the Constitution actually worked during its first decade.
After the Diet--or parliament--was established, the oligarchs who had framed the Constitution found that the Diet intervened more than they had intended. In an equally surprising turn, the popular political parties who had initially opposed the expensive nationalist and industrial expansionist plans of the government eventually became supporters. The reasons for this drastic change in basic attitudes present a fascinating series of questions which Junji Banno addresses in this book.
To answer these questions, the author analyzes the constitutional framework and the economic interests of the key supporters of the popular parties--the agricultural landowners. The changing interests of this group in the mid 1890s forced the popular party leaders to modify their demand for "cheap government." Variations in the prices of agricultural products greatly influenced the attitudes of landowners towards government financial policies, shifting their focus away from tax reduction and towards industrialization as an attractive policy.
"This is a useful book for the serious student of Japanese political history." -Sir Hugh Cortazzi, "Proceedings of the Japan Society "This is an important work of scholarship translated into English with great skill . . . can be read with profit by all political historians interested in the creation of constitutional systems." -"Asian Affairs
| Translator's Introduction | p. xi |
| Introduction Issues and Methods | p. 1 |
| The Political Situation Before the Sino-Japanese War | p. 7 |
| Some Problems of Transcendentalism | p. 9 |
| 'Enrich the Nation and Strengthen the Armed Forces' and 'Lighten the People's Burdens' as Issues in the Early Diet Sessions | p. 39 |
| Political Conflict After the Sino-Japanese War | p. 83 |
| Post-War Reconstruction and the Reactions of Various Political Forces | p. 85 |
| The Formation of the Yamagata Faction | p. 100 |
| The Question of Increasing the Land Tax | p. 122 |
| The Collapse of the Party Cabinet | p. 145 |
| Concluding the Land Tax Increase Bill | p. 170 |
| Conclusion | p. 200 |
| Appendices | p. 203 |
| Notes | p. 223 |
| Index | p. 241 |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780415004978
ISBN-10: 0415004977
Series: Nissan Institute Routledge Japanese Studies Series
Audience:
Tertiary; University or College
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 268
Published: 30th April 1992
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 22.86 x 14.61
x 2.54
Weight (kg): 0.49
Edition Number: 1
Earn 952 Qantas Points
on this Book
