［特集］ 民主政治と政治制度
近代日本における多数主義と「憲政常道」ルール
―政権交代をめぐる制度と規範―
2009 年 60 巻 1 号 p. 1_13-1_39
詳細
2009 年 60 巻 1 号 p. 1_13-1_39
The Meiji Constitution created a bicameral Imperial Diet, which included a House of Representatives with members chosen by direct election. However, this was not what made the party cabinet system a necessity. The selection of prime minister was on the elder statesmen's consensus directed by protocol.
Nevertheless, under the slogan “The Normal way of the Constitutional Government,” the situation changed in the direction of democracy. From 1924 through 1932, party leader possessed political power. And from 1927, there was a two-party system by the Seiyukai and the Minseito. A certain Japanese journalist said in 1929 that Japanese politics was almost the same as the British politics in respect of this.
The purpose of the paper is to explore the establishment and collapse of norms for change of power by a relation with institutions from 1918 through 1936. Mainly, three actors; people who selected the prime minister, party leaders and observers (scholars and journalists) are observed in the paper. And the majority rule in the pre-war Japan is also considered.
