Japanese House of Councillors election, 1956

The Sangiin - election in 1956, formally the " fourth regular election of Sangiinabgeordneten " (Japanese for第4回 参议院 议员 通常 选 挙, dai -yon- kai Sangiin Giin tsūjō Senkyo ), the Japanese councils House ( Sangiin ), the House of Lords ( join) of the National Parliament ( Kokkai ) took place on July 8, 1956 instead. By simple non- transferable vote half the chamber for six years was re- elected 75 deputies in the prefectures, 52 more (including two by-elections to three years) in the nationwide constituency ( Zenkoku -ku ).

The election in 1956 was the first Sangiin choice among the so-called " 55er system": 1955 was caused by the "Conservative Fusion" and the reunification of the Socialist Party approximately a two-party system. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Hatoyama Ichirō possessed not Sangiin its own majority and was dependent on the votes of independents and the Ryokufūkai. Hatoyama had assumed the sole party chairmanship in April. The opposition Socialist Party of Japan ( SPJ ) was led by Suzuki Mosaburō, who in 1951 briefly occupied the party presidency, before the left and right wings had broken down in the dispute over the security treaty with the United States. The Japanese Communist Party ( JCP ) under the Central Committee Chairman Nosaka Sanzo and the Workers 'and Peasants' Party of Kuroda Hisao could, given the concentration on the two major parties expect only a few mandates.

Were entitled to vote approximately 50 million Japanese men and women over 20 years. The Ryukyu Islands ( Okinawa ) were under U.S. administration and did not participate in the election.

Among the topics of the campaign included the 1954 run rearmament, the security treaty with the United States and the formation of policy. For a proposed amendment to the Constitution relating to the rearmament Hatoyama hoped, together with conservative independents to win a two-thirds majority in Sangiin. In March 1956, Hatoyama had set up the "Investigation Committee on the Constitution" ( Kempo Chosakai ), in early July took the "National Defense " ( Kokubo kaigi, forerunner of today's Security Council) on his work. Dial destination of the left parties was to get at least one third of the seats in order to prevent such a majority can. The confrontational attitude of the left parties was the so-called Hatomander (ハトマンダー, (yes ) from Hatoyama and gerrymander ) reinforced: The plan Hatoyama, who was "mean" multi- mandate constituencies for the Shūgiin, the House of Commons, to be replaced by "small" single constituencies, only in May 1956 failed in Sangiin. The amendment would have the LDP facilitates a two-thirds majority in Shūgiin to win, so in order to overrule the Sangiin with most intended legislation. The attempt by the government, the elected school boards in the future to be determined by appointment and change the approval process for textbooks, had led to massive protests of the SPJ and the teachers' union Nikkyōsō. In the " deliberations " in Sangiin had to intervene in June 1956 the police to restore order.

Result

The turnout was 63.18 % in the prefectures and 62.10 % in the national constituency.

(*) Only selected candidates: Tsuneo Takenaka for the Japanese Dental Association, later to LDP.

Constituencies

Although the SPJ was in the national constituency win more seats than the LDP. But you won only four of the 25 Einmandatswahlkreise compared to 19 for the LDP, which thus won a total of 42 of the 75 seats in the prefectures.

The Soka Gakkai religious community first supported several independent candidates.

• Liberal Democratic Party
• Socialist Party of Japan
• Ryokufūkai
• Japanese Communist Party
• Other ( Japanese Dental Association )
• Independent

Effects

The LDP missed the absolute majority. Rearmament in the form of strictly defensive oriented Self-Defense Forces was continued without a constitutional amendment. Hatoyama traveled in September for negotiations for the admission of Japan to the United Nations to Moscow, where the joint Japanese- Soviet declaration was adopted in October, said after his return in November for his resignation. For the election of the LDP party presidency in December 1956, Ishibashi Tanzan sat against Kishi Nobusuke by just as his successor.

In the United States, the election result was seen as a possible strengthening of anti-American forces.