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.
From 1923-1924, Admiral Gonnohyoe Yamamoto made a return as prime minister. He was brought in to provide leadership in the wake of the cataclysmic Great Kanto Earthquake. Yamamoto made some progress in providing relief services, but was unable to bring political stability.
From 1916-1918, General Masatake Terauchi spent a mostly unhappy two years as prime minister of Japan. He successfully carried forward Japan’s involvement in the First World War, but shadows darkened both at home and abroad.
In 1912-1913, Taro Katsura returned for a third and final term as prime minister, but rather than cool the embers of the Taisho Political Crisis, he unexpectedly pours fuel on the fire.
Both sides of the political spectrum are disappointed by the newly passed anti-LGBT discrimination law, but for different reasons.
From 1901-1906, Taro Katsura served a highly consequential term as prime minister which featured the emergence of a new generation to the top leadership post and a war which established Japan as a Great Power in international affairs.
An interview with Jon Heese, a naturalized Canadian-Japanese and elected Tsukuba City Councillor of twelve years. A Caucasian Visible Minority of Japan, Heese has long been advocating that other Non-Japanese Residents naturalize and run for office.
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.
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.
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.
