SNA (Tokyo) — In 1913-1914, Admiral Gonnohyoe Yamamoto launched a new era in Japanese politics, bringing the nation one step closer to a democratic form of government. Eventually, however, the Imperial Japanese Navy led the administration into embarrassment.

Transcript

On February 20, 1913, Gonnohyoe Yamamoto became prime minister of Japan.

His administration clearly represented the beginning of a third political era since the launch of the Cabinet system in 1885.

The first era, which lasted for sixteen years, was a time in which the Choshu and Satsuma Genro dominated the political scene. The second era, which lasted for twelve years, saw Taro Katsura and Kinmochi Saionji rotate as prime minister, representing the more bureaucratic-conservative and liberal-democratic trends respectively.

In the wake of the Taisho Political Crisis, the balance of power had become more complex. Although somewhat oversimplified, it could be said that leadership of the nation had now become a four-cornered power struggle.

On the one hand, the old Genro and the bureaucratic faction remained deeply influential, surviving the Taisho Political Crisis intact, if somewhat tarnished. Aritomo Yamagata remained the towering figure of this group.

Closely related—and also looking to Yamagata as their senior leader—was the Imperial Japanese Army. Dominated by officers from the Choshu clan, the Army was an independent power that had by this time become bolder about playing its own hand.

Third was the Imperial Japanese Navy, dominated by Satsuma men in its upper ranks. They shared some interests with the Army, but had their own set of leaders and were rivals in many contexts.

Finally, there were the elected politicians, especially the Constitutional Association of Political Friends. Founded in 1900 by Hirobumi Ito, the party had dominated general elections under Kinmochi Saionji. But Saionji stepped aside at the beginning of the new administration, bringing Takashi Hara to the leadership role.

The new administration of Admiral Yamamoto was effectively a coalition between the Navy faction and Hara’s political party.

Indeed, it was Home Minister Hara who drove much of the agenda in the early months of the administration. Some of the pro-bureaucrat policies that Yamagata had pushed through at the end of the last century were rolled back. The elected politicians were more influential under the Yamamoto government than they had ever been previously.

After running smoothly through 1913, successfully cooling the embers of the Taisho Political Crisis, it turned out to be the Imperial Navy which was the fatal vulnerability.

First of all, the Navy shamelessly exploited its newfound political leverage to demand a massive increase of its budget, alienating all of the competing interests which also wanted money for their projects.

Worse yet, in January 1914, it was revealed that senior Navy officers had taken large bribes from Germany’s Siemens and the UK firm Vickers during the procurement process for the battleship Kongo and other military equipment.

The public was outraged by the corruption scandal, and large-scale protests erupted in Tokyo in February 1914.

With popular opinion having now turned against them, and their budget blocked by the House of Peers, it was apparent that the coalition of the Navy and Hara’s political party had lost its ability to stand against the combined weight of the Genro, the bureaucracy, and the Imperial Army.

Gonnohyoe Yamamoto thus resigned on April 16, 1914, after a term of 1 year and 56 days.

Gonnohyoe Yamamoto will return.

This article was originally published on December 18, 2023, in the “Japan and the World” newsletter. Become a Shingetsu News supporter on Patreon and receive the newsletter by email each Monday morning.