Paper short abstract:

By focusing on the "assemblies," which pervaded in both the central and prefectural governments in early Meiji, this paper investigates how the prevailing concept of kōron (legitimate decisions based on public discussions) developed along with the introduction of western parliamentary principles.

Paper long abstract:

Historians have conventionally considered the concept of kōron (legitimate decisions based on public discussions), which prevailed during the Meiji Restoration, as a primary contributor to the establishment of local parliaments (in 1879) and the National Diet (in 1890). However, it has been neglected that even after the National Diet established, kōron-based "assemblies," under the influence of western parliamentary principles, still pervaded in both the central and prefectural governments.

This paper argues that kōron, which generated from the Japanese traditional philosophy and developed under the influence of western parliamentary principles, not only contributed to the establishment of the parliament but had a substantial impact on the decision-making process in the Japanese administrations in the early Meiji era.

This paper introduces two typical categories of "assemblies." 1) conferences of local governors appeared after Local Administrative Assemblies (which was considered as an alternative system to the lower house and was held in 1875, 1878, and 1880), and aimed at consolidating opinions on common concerns among local governors and submitting joint petitions to the central government. 2) "assemblies" in prefectural administration, consisted of junior officials from each section of local governments, deliberated on important prefectural matters, especially those related to local parliaments. Interestingly, it was the local governors, instead of the Minister of Home Affairs, who presided the conferences of local governors. Moreover, in many cases, it was the junior officials who proactively advocated the establishment of "assemblies" in prefectural administration and drafted the rules, instead of following the orders from local governors. In this sense, the "assemblies" operated under a common understanding of kōron, which was nurtured by the officials' educational background in the late Edo period.

This paper also investigates the rules of "assemblies" and showcases how officials followed a minimum standard of western parliamentary principles, although with a much simpler version, in setting up elections methods, chairman authority, majority rule, etc., and aimed to eradicate bureaucratic hierarchy to ensure impartial discussions. This paper reveals how officials tried to absorb western parliamentary principles to a minimum level in order to uphold the philosophy of kōron while pursuing administrative efficiency.