General Election Law of 1925

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The General Election Law of 1925 was a landmark Japanese statute that introduced universal male suffrage and significantly expanded democratic participation in the late Taishō period.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Universal Manhood Suffrage Law of 1925 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Japanese law
election law
suffrage law
abolished tax-based voter qualification for men
aimedTo broaden political participation among commoners
strengthen legitimacy of the parliamentary system
appliedTo male Japanese subjects
appliesTo House of Representatives elections
approximateNumberOfVotersAfter about 12 million
approximateNumberOfVotersBefore about 3 million
contemporaryWith Peace Preservation Law of 1925
country Japan
didNotGrant female suffrage
effectiveFrom 1925
excluded women from suffrage
expanded voting rights
expandedElectorateTo all adult males meeting basic criteria
firstElectionUnderLaw 1928 Japanese general election
historicalClassification prewar Japanese constitutional law
historicalContext Taisho era
surface form: Taishō democracy
increasedElectorateByFactor about fourfold
influenced development of mass political parties in Japan
electoral competition in late 1920s Japan
influencedBy expansion of suffrage in Western countries
introduced universal male suffrage
jurisdiction Japan
surface form: Empire of Japan
language Japanese
legacy key milestone in Japan’s democratization before World War II
legalForm statute
legislativeBody Imperial Diet
surface form: Imperial Diet of Japan
minimumVotingAge 25 years
opposedBy some oligarchic elites
politicalEra late Taishō period
politicalSignificance foundation of mass party politics in prewar Japan
major expansion of democratic participation
predecessorLaw earlier limited suffrage laws of the Meiji period
previousElectorateBasis property-based suffrage
promulgatedBy Emperor Taishō
relatedTo Peace Preservation Law of 1925
residencyRequirement 3 years in the same electoral district
subjectMatter election procedures
electoral districts
voter qualifications
supportedBy Kenseikai party
Rikken Kaishintō (Constitutional Reform Party)
surface form: Seiyūkai party
yearEnacted 1925

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Taisho era notableLaw General Election Law of 1925
Peace Preservation Law of 1925 relatedTo General Election Law of 1925
this entity surface form: Universal Manhood Suffrage Law of 1925