Abstract
The local organizations of the prewar political parties were mainly organized by the members of the prefectural assembly. In the case of the Minsei party in Shimane Prefecture, it was characterized by the fact that it overlapped systematically and in terms of personnel with the supporters’ association of politicians. Although there was no substantial difference between the two prewar local organizations, they were trying to gain the support of more voters by presenting themselves as two organizations. In addition, the personnel affairs of the executives of the organization took into consideration not only the distinction between parties but also the region of origin. The appointment of the branch chief’s successor was sometimes difficult, but at that time, Reijiro Wakatsuki, the prime minister from the prefecture, arbitrated the appointment and avoided the surface of the conflict within the branch. In the election, the constituencies were categorized into the person-centered first district and the branch-centered second district. Of particular note is the second district, as this was where the 1930 and 1932 general elections led by the
Constitutional Democratic Party branch organization were held. For this reason, future election studies on prewar political party organizations need to take into account these differences between constituencies.
