抄録
In the study of prewar Japanese political history, the issue of colonial rule has been taken up only as an “external issue,” so to speak. In recent years, excellent research results have been published from the field of colonial history studies, and there has indeed been progress in understanding Japanese political history from an empireorientated perspective. However, in order to truly cross-link the studies of colonial history and Japanese political history, it is essential to clarify how the expansion of imperialism in prewar Japan affected the political structure of Japan as a whole. The author believes that this is the key to building an understanding of “Imperial Japanese Political History,” and is diligently researching the Takumushō（Ministry of Colonial Affairs）, which was newly established in 1929 as the government agency with jurisdiction over colonial affairs. As a part of this analysis, this paper presents the validity of this perspective by analyzing how the Takumushōʼs movement affected the retreat of the “responsible cabinet system” in modern Japan, taking up the issue of the South Manchurian Railway Company（SMR）reorganization that became a problem between 1932 and 1934 as a case study.
