Teijin Incident

A major corruption scandal involving the buying and selling of Teikoku Rayon Company stock. In April 1934 (Showa 9), prosecutors arrested executives of the Bank of Taiwan and Teijin executives Kawai Yoshinari and Nagano Mamoru on suspicion of breach of trust and bribery in the buying and selling of Teikoku Rayon stocks owned by the Bank of Taiwan. In May, senior officials of the Ministry of Finance were also arrested one after another on suspicion of bribery, sending shock waves through the political and financial world. As a result of this scandal, the Saito Makoto cabinet was forced to resign en masse (July of the same year). After the cabinet's resignation, members of the Saito cabinet, including Minister of Commerce and Industry Nakajima Kumakichi and Minister of Railways Mitsuchi Chuzo, were also arrested. Behind this incident is believed to have been a conspiracy by the Seiyukai faction led by Kuhara Fusanosuke, a member of the Privy Council and a leader in the judicial world, Hiranuma Kiichiro, as well as the military and right-wing groups, who aimed to thwart the government-people cooperation movement that had been promoted since the end of the previous year by members of the "Banchō-kai" business group, including Commerce and Industry Minister Nakajima and Kawai Yoshinari, and to bring down the Saito Cabinet. As the circumstances of the interrogations of the arrested persons by the arresting authorities became clear, voices criticizing the injustice of the investigation grew, and the term "judicial fascism" was born. Trials began in 1935, and after 265 hearings, in December 1937, all were found not guilty, as it was deemed to have been "castles in the air."

[Kenichi Yoshii]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

帝国人造絹糸会社の株式売買をめぐる大疑獄事件。1934年（昭和9）4月検察当局は、台湾銀行所有の帝国人絹株の売買に背任、贈収賄の疑惑があるとして、台湾銀行幹部や帝人重役河合良成(かわいよしなり)、永野護(ながのまもる)らを検挙した。5月には大蔵省幹部も収賄の疑いで相次いで逮捕され、政財界に大きな衝撃を与えた。この事件によって斎藤実(まこと)内閣は総辞職（同年7月）を余儀なくされた。内閣総辞職後、斎藤内閣の中島久万吉(くまきち)商工相、三土忠造(みつちちゅうぞう)鉄道相らも検挙された。この事件の背後には、前年末以来中島商工相、河合良成ら財界グループ「番町会」のメンバーが推進していた政民連携運動を挫折(ざせつ)させ、斎藤内閣を倒壊させることをねらった政友会久原房之助(くはらふさのすけ)派、司法界の長老平沼騏一郎(きいちろう)枢密院副議長、軍部、右翼の策謀があったとされている。検挙当局の被検挙者に対する取調べ状況が明らかになるにつれ、その不当性を非難する声が高まり、司法ファッショのことばが生まれた。35年に公判が開始され265回にわたる公判のすえ、37年12月には「空中楼閣」であったとして全員無罪の判決が下った。

［芳井研一］

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