National Association - Kokuminkyokai

(1) A nationalist political party in the mid-Meiji period. It was founded on June 22, 1892 (Meiji 25) as a central negotiating party made up of representatives who had been actively supported and elected by the government in the second general election held under the cabinet of Matsukata Masayoshi in February of that year. Saigo Tsugumichi was the chairman, Shinagawa Yajiro, the former Minister of the Interior, was the vice-chairman, and Sasa Tomofusa and Ooka Ikuzo were among the executives. It advocated strengthening the military, expanding national power, and promoting business, and as the ruling party of the clan-based government, it opposed the Minto. However, when the second cabinet of Ito Hirobumi, which followed, drew closer to the Liberal Party, it strengthened its opposition character and attacked the government as the central force of the Six Hard-line Foreign Policy Group, which opposed the treaty revision negotiations that the government was trying to promote. After the Sino-Japanese War, as successive clan-affiliated governments openly allied with the Liberal Party and the Progressive Party, the party lost its raison d'être as a clan-affiliated government party, and took on a stronger character as a party of the Yamagata Aritomo-affiliated bureaucrats. The party had 70 members at the time of its founding, but this number decreased with each election, to 21 in August 1898. In 1899, it lost its mainstay when Shinagawa joined the Privy Council, and it was dissolved on July 4 of the same year, reorganized as the Imperial Party the following day.

(2) A nationalist group in the Showa period. In 1933 (Showa 8), Akamatsu Katsumaro, who had split off from the Japan National Socialist Party, and Tsukui Tatsuo, who had been expelled from the Greater Japan Productive Party, joined by Kurata Hyakuzo, and formed the group in August, claiming to be a cultural group promoting the spread of the Japanese spirit throughout the nation. With the "National Movement" as its journal and the Young Japan Alliance as its action force, the group launched attacks on the Emperor as an organ of the nation theory and campaigned for electoral reform, but its influence was weak. With the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in July 1937, the movement to unite nationalist groups rapidly progressed, and on the 18th of the same month, the group joined forces with the New Japan National Alliance and others to form the Japan Innovation Party.

(3) An organization for making political donations to the Liberal Democratic Party. It was established as a foundation in July 1961 with Chuzo Iwata as chairman. It received political donations, mainly from the business community, and used them to fund election campaigns and other party activities. However, it was criticized as a money-driven election in the 1974 House of Councillors election, and was forced to reorganize due to the economic downturn caused by the oil crisis, and was reorganized as the National Political Association in January 1975.

[Uno Shunichi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

(1)明治時代中期の国家主義政党。1892年（明治25）2月の松方正義(まつかたまさよし)内閣の下での第2回総選挙で、政府が積極的に支援して当選させた代議士らよりなる中央交渉部が母胎となり、同年6月22日結成された。西郷従道(さいごうつぐみち)を会頭、前内相品川弥二郎(やじろう)を副会頭とし、佐々友房(さっさともふさ)、大岡育造(いくぞう)らが幹部となり、軍備充実、国権拡張、実業振興などを綱領に掲げ、藩閥政府の与党として民党に対立した。ところが、続く第二次伊藤博文(ひろぶみ)内閣が自由党に接近すると野党色を強め、政府が推進しようとする条約改正交渉に反対する対外硬六派の中心勢力として政府を攻撃した。日清(にっしん)戦争後、歴代藩閥政府が公然と自由党、進歩党などと提携するに至って藩閥政府系の政党としての存在意義を失い、山県有朋(やまがたありとも)系官僚派の政党としての色彩を強めた。創立当初70名を擁した議員は選挙ごとに減少、98年8月には21名となり、99年品川の枢密院入りで支柱を失い、同年7月4日解散し、翌日帝国党に改組した。

(2)昭和時代の国家主義団体。1933年（昭和8）日本国家社会党から分裂した赤松克麿(かつまろ)と大日本生産党を除名された津久井竜雄(たつお)に、倉田百三(ひゃくぞう)が加わって、8月、日本精神の国民的浸透を推進する文化団体を標榜(ひょうぼう)して結成した。『国民運動』を機関誌とし、青年日本同盟をその行動隊として、天皇機関説攻撃や選挙粛正運動などを展開したが、その勢力は弱かった。37年7月日中戦争の勃発(ぼっぱつ)を機に国家主義団体結集の動きが急進展して、新日本国民同盟などと合同して同月18日日本革新党を結成した。

(3)自由民主党への政治献金のための機関。1961年（昭和36）7月、岩田宙造(ちゅうぞう)を会長に財団法人として発足。財界を中心に政治献金を受けて選挙活動を中心に党活動の財源としてきたが、74年の参院選挙で金権選挙の批判を受け、続く石油ショックによる景気後退などによって再編成を迫られ、75年1月国民政治協会に改組された。

［宇野俊一］

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