General elections were held in
Japan on 10 August 1902.[1] The result was a victory for the
Rikken Seiyūkai party, which won 191 of the 376 seats.
Electoral system
Electoral reforms in 1900 had abolished the 253 single and two-member constituencies. The 376 members of the
House of Representatives were now elected in 51 multi-member constituencies based on
prefectures and cities.[2]
Voting remained restricted to men aged over 25 who paid at least 10 yen a year in direct taxation, although 1900 electoral reforms had reduced the figure from 15 yen, increasing the proportion of the population able to vote from 1% to 2%.[2]