Social Democratic Party 社会民衆党 Shakai Minshū-tō | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Abe Isoo [1] |
Secretary-General | Tetsu Katayama [1] |
Founded | December 5, 1926 |
Dissolved | July 1, 1932 |
Split from | Right-wing faction of Labour-Farmer Party [2] |
Succeeded by | Social Masses Party |
Headquarters | Tokyo |
Membership (1929) | 48,952 [3] |
Ideology |
Social democracy
[4] Anti-capitalism [4] Anti-communism [4] Anti-fascism [4] |
Political position | Centre-left [5] to left-wing |
The Social Democratic Party (社会民衆党, Shakai Minshū-tō) (a more accurate translation of the Japanese name would be "Social People's Party", but this naming is common in English texts [6]) was a political party in Japan between 1926 and 1932. Amongst the three main proletarian parties in Japan at the time, the Social Democratic Party occupied a rightist position. [7]
The party was founded on December 5, 1926, by the Japan Federation of Labour (Sōdōmei), other trade unions and the Independent Labour Association, an organization of moderate leftist intellectuals. [8] Abe Isoo was elected chairman of the party. Suzuki Bunji, Nishio Suehiro, Akamatsu Katsumaro, Shimanaka Yuzō and Kagawa Toyohiko were Central Committee members of the party. [8] The elements which formed the new party had belonged to the Labour-Farmer Party, which opposed the inclusion of leftists in the latter party. Sodomei and other trade union had pulled out of the Labour-Farmer Party on October 24, 1926. [8] [9] However, only four days after its foundation the new party suffered its first split, as leftwing socialists broke away and formed the Japan Labour-Farmer Party. [8]
In March 1927 the General Federation of Japanese Peasant Unions was formed as the agrarian wing of the party. ( Japanese: Nihon Nomin Kumiai Sodomei) was a farmers' organization in Japan. [7] [9] A women's organization linked to the party, the Social Women's League, was founded in November 1927. It changed its name to Social Democratic Women's League in July 1928. [10]
Regarding the Chinese question, the party opposed the policies of the Japanese government, demanding a recognition of the Nanking government and encouragement of the Three Principles of Sun Yat-sen. [11] In May 1927 the Social Democratic Party sent Miyazaki Ryusuke and Matsuoka Komakichi to Shanghai, where they met with Chiang Kai-shek. A solidarity agreement between the Social Democratic Party and the Kuomintang was signed. [12]
Miyazaki Ryusuke left the party in 1929, forming the National Democratic Party. [13]
The party won two seats in the 1930 national election. [14]
The party merged with the National Labour-Farmer Masses Party in July 1932, forming the Social Masses Party. [15]
Election year | Candidates | Voter | # of seats | Change | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1928 | 17 | 120,044 | 4 / 446
|
[16] | |
1930 | 33 | 170,974 | 2 / 446
|
2 | [16] |
1932 | - | - | 3 / 446
|
1 | [3] |