Retrospective Japanese "general election", 1937 [Fixed Version]

[Tony]

A fixed version to include Tohokai.

Background
The fragile coalition between the relatively moderate Treaty Faction, Constitutional Democrats, moderate Toseiha supporters and the Okada Cabinet collapses after the February 26th Incident, just 6 days after the election of 1936. The Imperial Way Factions is widely purged, while the Toseiha faction gains the Emperor's trust and approval.

Koki Hirota, an independent diplomat, was appointed Prime Minster in 1936, to lead a technocratic government. He would sign the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany and Italy, leading to the de facto formation of the Axis Powers. However, his attempt to control military influence angers the Army, leading to the resignation of War Minister Hisaichi Terauchi, and thus the collapse of the government.

Senjuro Hayashi, a far-righ nutjob, formerly Commander of the Chosen Army, becomes Prime Minister. Not being from the influential Toseiha faction, the prime minister was however sympathetic towards the purged Imperial Faction and the teachings of executed Kita Ikki. As a result, his government is doomed to fail within a short period of time.

Before the election of 1937, almost every constitutional monarchic party opposed the Hayashi government, from Seiyukai, Shakai Taishuto, as expected; to Constitutional Democrats, the once-collaborator. All parties in the lower house united to use the filibuster strategy to block key legislations, as a last attempt to stop the government. After securing a crucial but narrow passage of the national budget, following walkouts and defections, the already-unpopular prime minister suddenly dissolves the lower house, leading to widespread criticisms from all parties and even ranking members of the military. Only Kokumin Domei and Showa Club support the Hayashi government, as not even the military enthusiastically support it.

Parties contested in the election of 1937 are as followed:

Rikken Seiyukai - Once friendly to the military, has become the leading opposition since the May 15th Incident, after the Seiyukai leader was not appointed Prime Minister. It is a strong supporter of the "return to constitutional rule", blaming the military for everything possible. However, the Rikken Seiyukai of 1937 was indeed divided between the mainstream faction and the "Reform Faction".

The mainstream faction, jointly led by Ichiro Hatoyama, Fusanosuke Kuhara, Kenkichi Yoshizawa, Yukio Ozaki and Chuzo Mitsuchi, all once supporters of military aggression except Ozaki, would continue to fight for constitutional rule and denounce "unconstitutional" actions of the military. These gentlemen would oppose, abstain from voting or even walk out from the lower house when it votes to expel Takao Saito, following his anti-military speech in 1940. The Seiyukai Mainstream Faction would argue that Saito should not be removed simply because of what he say in the diet, and that the removal on such grounds is unconstitutional.

The "Reform Faction" led by Chikuhei Nakajima is strongly pro-military and supports the idea of merging every party into one. It would support the expulsion of Takao Saito from the lower house following his anti-military speech.

Constitutional Democrats (Rikken Minseito) - Still led by Chuji Machida, who collaborated with the military to form a so-called coalition government after the May 15th Incident, opposes the administration of Senjuro Hayashi. However, Machida is in favor of eventual merger of all political parties, and would support the explusion of fellow Minseito member Takao Saito from the House of Representatives following the latter's anti-military speech in 1940. In other words, the Constitutional Democrats by this point has been hijacked by the military.

Takao Saito, who would be expelled from the lower house following his anti-military speech in 1940, would be surprise to find out that his support mainly come from the anti-military mainstream faction of the Seiyukai and the social democratic faction of Shakai Taishuto. Among Minseito members, only Kyujiro Okazaki would vote against his expulsion. In his speech, Takao Saito denounced the Japanese invasion of China, questioning the government's attempt to create a new order in East Asia and whether war could bring peace to East Asia.

The Showa Club is a parliamentary group of former Seiyukai members who were expelled after joining the Okada cabinet in 1934. It has no specific political stance, apart from being pro-military and pro-military

The Kokumin Domei is a fascist party arguing for corporatism with government control of strategic industries and financial institutions. However, most of its members have returned to the Minseito due to its increasingly pro-military stance. Meanwhile, radicals have joined the Tohokai, arguing that the Kokumin Domei is not radical enough.

Tohokai, literally the Eastern Society is a far-right party supporting state socialism and the writings of executed fascist Kita Ikki. Members of Tohokai greatly admire Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, and would wear black shirts with armbands with the character "東". It is more of a Nazi party than a Fascist party. Claiming to be "socialist", Tohokai would begin talks with the Shakai Taishuto on merger. It would be supported by National socialists within Shakai Taishuto like Hisashi Aso, but would be rejected by Abe Isoo's social democratic faction.

The Shakai Taishuto would double its seats in the OTL election of 1937, but it exists in name only by that time. It is continuously split between the Nazi faction of Hisashi Aso and the social democratic faction of Abe Isoo. The Nazi faction would even support the merger with Tohokai, a Nazi party. Aso is now the party leader, while Abe is now General Secretary, leading to further internal split of the party.

The social democratic faction of Abe, which is outnumbered by Aso's fascist faction in the OTL lower house, would oppose the expulsion of Takao Saito in 1940. In 1938, Abe Isoo would be assaulted by members of the far-right, leading to national outcry against such violence.

[Tony]

So happy that not even one vote is cast for those Fascists and Nazis

[Tony]

Mid-week bump. Will go fishing until 14th. See you all later.