1903 Japanese general election

General elections were held in Japan on 1 March 1903.[1] The Rikken Seiyūkai party remained the largest in the House of Representatives, winning 175 of the 376 seats, but lost its majority.


1 March 1903

All 376 seats to the House of Representatives
189 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Saionji Kinmochi Ōkuma Shigenobu
Party Seiyūkai Kensei Hontō
Last election 191 seats, 50.4% 95 seats, 25.7%
Seats won 175 85
Seat change 16 10
Popular vote 373,022 218,689
Percentage 45.6% 26.7%
Swing 4.8% 1.0%

House of Representatives conformation

Prime Minister before election

Katsura Tarō
Independent

Subsequent Prime Minister

Katsura Tarō
Independent

Electoral system

The 376 members of the House of Representatives were elected in 51 multi-member constituencies based on prefectures and cities. Voting was restricted to men aged over 25 who paid at least 10 yen a year in direct taxation.[2]

Campaign

A total of 537 candidates contested the 376 seats.

Results

Party Votes % Seats +/–
Rikken Seiyūkai373,02245.6175–16
Kensei Hontō218,68926.785–10
Chūsei Club37,0704.531New
Teikokutō34,8114.3170
Seiyū Club24,1292.913New
Jinin Kai2,7480.30–28
Dōshi Club1,5170.20–13
Others129,31315.455+23
Invalid/blank votes7,527
Total825,8261003760
Registered voters/turnout958,32286.2
Source: Mackie & Rose, Voice Japan

References

  1. Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan, p281
  2. Mackie & Rose, p276
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