This paper studies the suffrage requirements of the Meiji Constitution, which the Meiji oligarchs/elder statesmen created to show that Restoration Japan would be a western-style liberal state, and the first Japanese general election. The electoral law that was in force in 1890 mandated that to be a voter, a Japanese man had to be 25 and above, meet residency requirements, and pay 15 yen in yearly taxes. Only 1% of the Japanese population met these requirements. However, unlike the preceding eras of Japanese history, most of these were commoners. As a result, this was the first time that Japanese outside the aristocracy and samurai classes, if they met the financial requirements, got to have a say in the running of their nation. Through an analysis of various primary and secondary sources, this research establishes that the 1890 Japanese general election did not truly reflect the voice of the Japanese people, considering that lower-class Japanese and residents of Hokkaido and Okinawa could not vote. Even considering these factors, as the first election in Asia, the 1890 parliamentary election of Japan was still a major change, for this was the first time that Asians, regardless of birth, got to choose their leaders. This paved the way for the other Asian democracies that would follow.

Authors:
Daniel Francisco Del Rosario, National University-Manila, Philippines

About the Presenter(s)
Mr. Daniel Francisco P. Del Rosario teaches Social Science subjects in National University Manila as an Assistant Professor. When he is not teaching, he loves to play computer games and read history books. He is working on various projects.

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