National Cooperative Party

A centrist political party formed on March 8, 1947 (Showa 22) by the merger of the Cooperative Democratic Party and the National Party. It advocated humanitarianism and cooperativeism as its platform, and aimed to privatize government-run businesses, abolish controls on fresh food, and modernize agricultural, mountain, and fishing villages. The chairman of the standing committee was Okada Seiichi, and the secretary-general was Miki Takeo. At the time of its founding, the party had 78 members, but in the general election in April of the same year, it suddenly fell to a small party with only 31 members. However, after the election, it participated in both the Katayama and Ashida coalition cabinets with the Democratic Party, sending two members each to cabinet positions. After the Ashida cabinet resigned, the party moved into the opposition and attempted to reunite centrist forces, but due to the ambiguity of its founding spirit, its seats fell to 14 in the general election in January 1949, and in April the following year, 1950, it merged with the Democratic Party to become the Democratic Party for the People.

[Kenji Yoshida]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1947年（昭和22）3月8日、協同民主党と国民党が合同して結成した中道派の政党。人道主義、協同主義を綱領に掲げ、官営事業の民営化、生鮮食料品の統制撤廃、農山漁村の近代化を目ざした。常任委員会議長岡田勢一、書記長三木武夫(たけお)。結党時に78名の議員を擁し、同年4月の総選挙では一気に31名の小政党に転落したが、選挙後は民主党とともに片山・芦田(あしだ)両連立内閣に参画、それぞれ2名を閣僚として送った。芦田内閣総辞職後は野党に回り、中道勢力の再結集を試みたが、立党精神のあいまいさもあって1949年1月の総選挙では議席を14名に減らし、翌1950年4月民主党と合同して国民民主党となった。

［吉田健二］

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