Shigenobu Okuma and the Meiji Opposition
In 1898, Shigenobu Okuma became prime minister of Japan, leading the first and only government of the Meiji Era formed by the opposition to the Genro oligarchs.
Tag Archives: Genro
Hirobumi Ito and the Failure of Accord
In 1898 Hirobumi Ito returned for a third term as prime minister of Japan, but this time his political magic proved insufficient. The Genro and the elected political parties were heading for a confrontation, and Ito proved unable to reconcile them.
Masayoshi Matsukata and the Leverage of Political Parties
From 1896-1898, Masayoshi Matsukata returned as prime minister. In an effort to try to stabilize his administration, Matsukata formed an alliance with Shigenobu Okuma and his Progressive Party, but lingering distrust and contradictory interests remained a challenge.
Hirobumi Ito and the Sino-Japanese War
From 1892-1896, Hirobumi Ito returned as prime minister and had one of the most successful administrations in Japanese history. He presided over Japan’s first modern war in which it decisively defeated Qing China, overturned the traditional East Asia political order, and created its own colonial empire.
Masayoshi Matsukata and Election Violence
From 1891-1892, the financial specialist among the Meiji Genro, Masayoshi Matsukata, served as prime minister of Japan. After weathering a potential crisis with Russia, he called a general election and unleashed violence against the elected representatives of the people.
Aritomo Yamagata and the First Elected Diet
From 1889-1891, conservative Prime Minister Aritomo Yamagata became prime minister and oversaw Japan’s first parliamentary elections and the first session of the elected Diet, but he soon became tired of battling the elected representatives of the people.
Kiyotaka Kuroda and the Unequal Treaties
From 1888-1889, Kiyotaka Kuroda served as the second prime minister of Japan. Although he made an energetic effort to oversee the revision of the unequal treaties with the European Powers, he and his foreign minister became caught in the political crossfire.
