With the selection in early 1937 of General Senjuro Hayashi to become prime minister, the Imperial Japanese Army was excited to have one of its own in charge of the nation for the first time in decades; but his first political moves alienated almost everyone and he was out within a few months.
From 1936-1937, diplomat Koki Hirota was appointed prime minister. At this juncture, however, the office had become weaker than ever, and Hirota could do little more than be the public face of policies designed by the Imperial Japanese Army.
From 1934-1936, Keisuke Okada became the second consecutive moderate admiral to serve as prime minister, though on a weaker political footing than his predecessor. Still, he managed to stay on top of the situation until Imperial Army radicalism led to a violent uprising by junior officers.
From 1932-1934, Admiral Makoto Saito served as prime minister, ending political party rule but nevertheless trying to steer a relatively moderate path. In foreign policy, however, his administration continued to antagonize the West, including through Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations.
From 1931-1932, veteran politician Tsuyoshi Inukai served as prime minister, attempting to manage the multifaceted international crisis. While he made significant progress in coping with the Great Depression, the military slipped entirely out of control. A group of young officers effectively ended this period in Japanese democracy with direct political violence.
In 1931, Reijiro Wakatsuki again took over the post of prime minister from a stronger predecessor, but this time the deck was in any case stacked against any prospect for political success. The nation was sinking into the depths of the Great Depression, and the government lost control of young officers in the Imperial Army, who launched a conquest of Manchuria which had never been authorized by Tokyo.
From 1927-1929, Imperial Army-officer-turned-politician Giichi Tanaka attempted to guide Japan with a firm hand, aiming to crush radicalism at home and to use the iron fist in China. This hardline turn was resisted on many fronts, but the biggest problem emerged from the Army itself, which was slipping away from political control.
From 1926-1927, Reijiro Wakatsuki led Japan’s ruling party, but his tendency to shy away from confrontations helped put him in a weaker position than his predecessor. As the new Emperor Hirohito began his reign, a careless comment by the finance minister triggered a run on banks.
From 1924-1926, Takaaki Kato led an administration which marked the pinnacle of the period of “Taisho Democracy.” Its crowning achievement was the passage of a law granting voting rights to all male Japanese age 25 or older, regardless of economic status.
In early 1924, bureaucrat Keigo Kiyoura reluctantly agreed to become premier, but the frustration of the political parties about once again being passed over created a challenge which Kiyoura was not able to tame.
