Digital　Museum 　(Home page) 　click
HARA　KAMETARO（Next page)　click

　　《 Homepage　Contents 》


　　(1)　What was the Movement for Civic Rights and Freedom ?
　

　　(2)　“ THE 　POLITICAL　 CONDITION　 OF　JAPAN ”
　　　　BY　 TATUI BABA , 　 PUBLISHED 1888.

　　(4)　Reference Book

　　(5)　Guide to Exhibition Room　

　　(6)　 Statistics

★The civil war for the restoration of the Mikado to his legitimate throne ended in 1870, and each Daimio received his reward in elevation of rank and increase of income. But those who accomplished the work of restoration were compelled to recognize necessity of abolishing the feudal system. This abolishing was peacefully achieved, but those who brought it about acted from very different motives , and perhaps did not quite foresee the practical results. The members of the Cabinet became divided. Several minor differences existed among the officials, but the main difficulty was that one party desired to enter upon fresh work while another sought to finish what had beed already begun, without undertaking anything further. The enterprising and more adventurous party was represented by Saigo, one of the greatest warriors Japan has ever produced, and the opposite party by Okubo.

★Again and again the government army was defeated, but at last Saigo's ammunition was exhausted ; he fought his last battle in Siroyama, in his native province, and died on the field. This was in the tenth year of Meiji or A.D. 1877. Okubo had now undisputed power in the government of Japan, but he did not enjoy his supreme position much longer. In 1878 he was assasinated by Simada Ichiro in Tokio. This threw the Japanese Cabinet in a state of chaos. While Okubo lived, he had unlimited sway over his colleagues; that is there was a wide gulf between him and other Ministers both in personal authority and in strength of will. All the other Ministers were mere secretaries, or they might be better described as servants of his will. Now this absolute and central head was suddenly cut off. There was no leader who could give united action to the schemes of the government. This weak government was carried on by conferences and negotiations between different Ministers.


★ Meanwhile the popular movement was going on side by side with the political change in the government. About the year 1874, several newspapers sprang up and began to discuss political and social questions in Japan. Students returned from Europe and America and began to form societies . I may mention one society in particular which gave many social and scientific benefits to Japan, until reduced to nothing throgh government interference. It was called Kioson Doshu, or “the society for social intercourse. ” It was originally formed by some Japanese who were studying in London in 1873. Some of the members of this society, having returnd to Japan in 1874, f ormed a society similar to that which was established in London . They used to meet monthly to discuss the subjects of political and social reform in Japan. In 1878, this social or popular movement became more active.


★The newspapers were the first to meet with a check. Press laws and newspaper regulations were made and writers were imprisoned for a year or eventhree years for very slight offenses. The government, issued other regulations about public meetings in 1880.　・・・・・
　The first clause of these regulations says that those who hold any public meeting concerning politics, must obtain permission from the police station of the district, after placing in the office outlines of the speeches, names of the speakers, and the officers and date of the meeting. 　・・・・・
　Ninth.　-　Open air meetings shall not be permitted. All offenders are punished with fines varying from two dollars to one hundred dollars, and imprisonment with hard labor from two mouths to two years. The speaker whose speech is declared by the police to be injurious to the peace of the country is forbidden to make any speech from six months to a year.

★ In spite of these difficulties and obstacles the Japanese people continued organizing themselves with the object of propagating liberal ideas. Political speeches were delivered in all parts of Japan. I myself went to the northeastern provinces, such as Shinshu, Yamagata, Yechigo, and others. People began to attend the meetings in thousand, and I often spoke in meetings consisiting of two or three thousand people. Every sign of the powerful popular movement was shown in these meetings.
　At last the liberal party was formed in Tokio in 1881. Two principal papers became its organs, and very important questions were brought forward. The present Cabinet, seeing the pressure of popular influence, advised the Mikado to make a promise to establish a representative assembly in 1890.


★ About this time many deputations were sent to Tokio from all parts of Japan. Their object was twofold. First to ask the Cabinet to explain its foreighn policy; and second, to petitiion the government to relieve the poor farmers from oppression of a heavy overtaxation. But the Cabinet issued one of its despotic edicts on December 27th, 1887, and expelled all the members of the deputations from Tokio. Thousands of the policemen marched to all parts of the capital, where the members of deputations were living, and expelled more than four hundred people in one day.


★ What we demand of the present government (in 1888) is simply this :-
　First the establishment of a National Assembly, making the present government a constitutional monarchy with responsible ministries.
　Secondly, the abolition of the censorship of the press and the regulation of the newspapers.
　Thirdly, the abolition of the regulations for holding public meetings.
　Forthly, the revision of the treaty between Japan and Europe.
　Already the government is tottering under the influence of the voice of the people. Its days are numbered, and it will be overthrown by the popular party. A new Cabinet will be formed instead of the present despotic government.

---

《　Leading Democratists Born In Kochi City　》


★Taisuke Itagaki : Founder of Japan's First Political Party
1837-1919

　 A politician born in 1837 at the foot of Kochi Castle. After participating in the Boshin Civil War (the series of battles between the pro-imperialist and the shogunate forces which culminated in the Meiji Restoration), he became a powerful politician under the new government. He was involved in key reforms of the time, but resigned in protest in 1873 over what he saw as the government's dictatorial mishandling of a crisis with Korea. He returned to Kochi and, in 1874, established Risshi-sha, a political organization born from the blending of Western democratic ideals with the best traditions of the samurai , and concerned with issues of freedom and people's rights. In 1881, he and others organized Japan's first true political party (the Jiyu-to or "Liberal Party"), of which he became the became the Governor. This movement grew to nation wide status. With the promulgation of the constitution in 1889, he led the establishment of the national assembly.

---

★Chomin Nakae : Philosopher, Political Theorist, Civil Rights Activist
1847 - 1901

　One of the leading liberal political thinkers of the Meiji period. Born at the foot of Kochi Castle in 1847, he left Kochi at the age of 19 to study French in Nagasaki Prefecture. At the age of 25, he traveled to France where he was much influenced by Rousseau. After returning to Japan, he established 'France Gakusha' (or institute). He was a leader of the radical wing of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. He was an influential civil-rights activist and prolific writer until his death from cancer at the age of 55.

　A democratist born in Kochi City in 1857. In 1877, when he was 21, he became a member of Risshi-sha, the political organization founded by Itagaki. He asserted that people had naturally endowed human rights and published his ideas in a popular pamphlet in 1879. In 1881, he wrote a draft constitution which was not published. However, his ideas were influential in the drafting of the new constitution after World War II. In 1890, he won a seat to Diet in Japan's first national election, but died suddenly 2 years later at the age of 35.

★e-mail：sakumako@beige.ocn.ne.jp　click