SNA (Tokyo) — From 1911-1912, aristocrat Kinmochi Saionji returned as prime minister of Japan. Although his government had strong public support, it soon found itself in a budget confrontation with the Imperial Army. Neither side was prepared to back down.

Transcript

On August 30, 1911, Kinmochi Saionji returned as prime minister of Japan.

His second Cabinet looked similar to his first, with Takashi Hara returning to the post of Home Minister.

But tensions began to grow more quickly this time, with many voices demanding a reduction in government expenditures, and others calling for higher budgets.

The Cabinet managed well for a while. Saionji led his political party to another thumping victory in the May 1912 general election, winning an outright majority, seemingly securing its position.

But not long after the general election, the Meiji Emperor became ill and passed away, ending a remarkable era in which Japan had been transformed not only into a modern nation, but also the only non-European Great Power.

The Emperor had been a stabilizing presence, and he was often the final court of appeal when the Genro were divided among themselves on the best course of action…

…The new Taisho Emperor was different from his predecessor. He was not competent mentally, and a void soon developed at the top of the Japanese political system, making many groups less willing to compromise.

Indeed, it was a struggle for power that opened the new era—events that came to be called the Taisho Political Crisis.

The crisis was triggered by the Imperial Army’s demand that its budget be expanded to create two new divisions, helping Japan secure its position in Korea and Manchuria.

Other than the Army Minister who presented these demands, the rest of the Saionji Cabinet, which had embarked on a policy of reducing expenditures across all government departments, was unanimously opposed.

The Army had never before been so brazen about making demands on the government, but their boldness was in part due to the fact that they had the quiet support of Aritomo Yamagata, the most powerful of the remaining Genro.

When the Cabinet finalized its rejection of the budget increase, the Army opted for direct confrontation. Army Minister Yusaku Uehara presented his resignation to the Emperor, and none of his military colleagues would agree to replace him as the new Army Minister.

The Army’s intention had been to force the Saionji government to give in and to provide the budget for the two new divisions which they had been demanding; but the Cabinet decided instead to meet the Army’s challenge head on by resigning en masse, knowing that public opinion was strongly behind the civilian government, and that the Army’s strong-arm tactics were creating outrage.

Kinmochi Saionji thus stepped down on December 21, 1912, after a term of one year, 114 days, knowing that a great political battle had only begun.

Saionji himself would never return to the top office, but he remained an influential voice in Japanese politics for decades to come.

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