Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association 翼賛政治会
Founded	20 May 1942
Dissolved	30 March 1945
National affiliation	Imperial Rule Assistance Association
Politics of Japan Political parties Elections

The Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association (翼賛政治会, Yokusan seijikai), abbreviated to Yokuseikai or IRAPA, was the policymaking body set up within the Imperial Rule Assistance Association for the purpose of liaising between the IRAA and the National Diet, and consisted of a joint caucus of members of both the House of Representatives and the House of Peers. The IRAPA existed between 20 May 1942 and 30 March 1945, when the IRAA collapsed amid political infighting that attended the drastically worsening war situation.

In Japanese history, the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association established the "one country, one party" system.

History

Although candidates who received the endorsement of the IRAA and its affiliated

’s Fraternity Association and others, which had been formed by the unendorsed candidates after the previous election. No successor groups were recognized, and because of that unless the elected representatives affiliated with the new group, further political activity would be impossible.

And so, from the work of the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Consolidation Preparation Committee, the new Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association was established on 20 May. Its first president was Former Prime Minister

group who fought dissolution. Three days later, the Tohokai was also compelled to disband and all of its members ending up being forcibly integrated into the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association. Even in the House of Peers, where adherence was voluntary and de facto duel membership in pre-existing caucuses was permitted, 326 of the 411 members joined the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association. However, because the caucuses of the House of Peers were close knit and were not supposed to engage in political activities, and considering the House of Peers’ traditional role since its establishment of defending the interests of the government, Japan had more or less put in place the "one country, one party" system.

The platform of the IRAPA called for the rallying of political forces across the country, close cooperation with the IRAA, and the setting up of the so-called "Imperial Rule Assistance Parliament" uniting all factions. Due to the fact that this platform was swiftly passed without amendment as part of government-sponsored legislation, members of the Imperial

, Takuo Godo, Sotaro Ishiwata, and Nagakage Okabe.

Next, in order to accomplish the goal that was held up in the party's platform of establishing an "Imperial Rule Assistance Parliament", broad powers were given to the permanent members of the executive council and Diet members who were critical of the Tojo cabinet including those had just been absorbed from other groups were deprived of their right to speak both within the Diet and within the IRAPA. And yet at the same time, though it was said to preside over an "Imperial Rule Assistance Parliament", the IRAPA also included elements of a "catch-all party", and the Tojo cabinet and the militarists found that it was not always a pliant rubber stamp and would still provoke conflicts with them. Seeking to avoid such conflicts and maintain the facade of national unity, Tojo and the military had no choice but to let the permanent members of the executive council enter the cabinet and to ask for their cooperation while paying heed to their wishes in the decision-making process on domestic policies.

However, factional activity in the House of Representatives soon began to manifest itself mirroring that of old parties such as the

Seigo Nakano

ended up breaking away from the IRAPA.

Even so, while the Tojo cabinet continued, the "Imperial Rule Assistance Parliament" and the Political Association that supported it kept the system solid for a time. However, in July 1944 Governor-General of Korea Kuniaki Koiso succeeded Tojo as prime minister and when Nobuyuki Abe in turn was appointed Governor-General in place of Koiso, the post of President of the IRAPA fell in August to former Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet Seizo Kobayashi. After that, rents started to develop within the Association. While doubts were being harbored about his leadership skills, Kobayashi was appointed Minister of State by the Koiso cabinet in December 1944 and a restructuring of the IRAPA and IRAA was ordered by Koiso in preparation for the expected invasion of Japan. Koiso and Kobayashi laid out a policy to dissolve the IRAA, the IRAPA, and the Imperial Rule Assistance Young Men's Corps, and to replace them with a new party fully integrating the entire nation, including integration of the regional branches of the IRAA. Although this policy to form a new party was rapidly accepted by a meeting of IRAPA Diet members on 20 January 1945 and was formally announced by President Kobayashi on 12 February, it was opposed by the senior members of the IRAA and Diet members belonging to the Imperial Rule Assistance Young Men's Corps who as minority factions were excluded from the decision-making process.

It then became clear that

, the "one country, one party" system of the "Imperial Rule Assistance Parliament" had effectively collapsed and Japan would end up losing the war.

List of presidents of the IRAPA

	President		Notes
1		Nobuyuki Abe	Former Prime Minister, Army General (in reserve)
2		Seizō Kobayashi	Former Governor-General of Taiwan, Navy Admiral (in reserve)

See also

• Imperial Rule Assistance Association

References