Composition and change of Imperial Diet Members

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This is a research on the social composition and change of all members of the House of Representatives in ImperiaI Diet under Great Japanese Imperial Constitution. It was done by investigating their career background such as education, and so forth. Some of the findings are as follows.I.In early Imperial Diet more than half the Dietmen were from landowners who ran various industry, like agriculture, forestry, live stock farming business, sericulture business, and brewing business. Other than these primary industries they invested in bank business especially.2.As for the organization of political party, there was a tremedous difference in terms of job-ranking system between prewar parties and postwar parties. The former was extremely simpIe. on the other hand the latter complicated.It would mean that the political parties after the war should have come to carry out big roles under the change or political system.3.The examination of relations with interest groups of prewar members of the Diet shows that some members coming from interest groups undertook officers of the groups, in this sense they were profit spokesmen representing their own interest. However, a different type of spokesmen began to appear on the stage from around l936 on. They were not from the industry in which they were in by trade, but they had been or were from such occupation as lawyer or journalist playing a role of officer of interest groups, or they had not have any other occupation other than officer of interest groups before entering the Diet. This would also mean that prefessinaI politicians began to emerge.4.There was a deep relation between the Dietmen and the offices of local associations. They engaged in various kind of offices in the local community, and playd an active role as a politician, because they were men of high reputation in the community.