The Japan Cooperative Party ( Japanese: 日本協同党, Nihon Kyōdōtō) was a political party in Japan.

History

On 18 December 1945, ^[1] the party was established by the center of the former Sangyō Kumiai ( lit. 'Industrial Association') such as cooperatist Sengoku Kotaro [ ja] and dairy farmer Kurosawa Torizo [ ja]. ^{[3] [5]} It initially had around 20 members, ^[1] and journalist Yamamoto Sanehiko [ ja] was assumed chairperson of the party. ^{[2] [4] [6]} On 4 January 1946, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) published a memorandum pertaining to the Purge (from public office) based on the Potsdam Declaration and an order from the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee (SWNCC). ^[7] Only two of the party's 23 legislative members were able to escape the Purge. ^[8] It won 14 seats in the April 1946 elections. ^[9] On the other hand, the dominant Liberal Party could not win an absolute majority, so the Shidehara Cabinet did not resign and began maneuvering to cling to power. ^[10] In response, the party supported a movement for the campaign to oust the cabinet advocated by the Socialist Party, and formed a four-party joint committee of the Japan Cooperative Party, the Socialist Party, the Liberal Party, and the Communist Party. ^[11] The four-party joint committee started negotiations for a coalition government after defeating the cabinet, but the idea eventually failed due to disagreements within the subcommittee. ^[12] In May, it merged with several smaller parties to form the Cooperative Democratic Club, later renamed the Cooperative Democratic Party. ^[13]

Policies

After World War II, several new parties emerged in pursuit of co-operatism as a modification of capitalism, the Japan Cooperative Party was its origin. ^[3] The party advocated cooperative socialism, co-operatism and Kōtō Goji ( lit. 'defend and maintain of the imperial lineage') in its platform. ^{[2] [3]} In its policy outline, it described co-operatism as "stabilize the lives of the people through mutual aid between cities and farming / fishing villages centred on cooperatives, and establish and encourage a production system that integrates agriculture, manufacturing and commerce." ^[3] In addition, it advocated defeat the monopoly capital and every feudalistic element, and aimed at centrism (i.e. stand between capitalism and socialism). ^[2] The party's mainly base was urban manufacturers and merchants, landlords, wealthy peasants, and small- to medium-sized manufacturers and merchants. ^{[2] [4]}

Election results

House of Representatives

References

Further reading

• Kanda, Fuhito (1983). Senryō to minshu shugi. Showa no Rekishi (in Japanese). Vol. 8. Tokyo: Shogakukan. ISBN  4-09-376008-X.
• Fukui, Haruhiro (1985). Political parties of Asia and the Pacific. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN  031321350X.