Tokyo Municipal Tramway Price Increase Opposition Incident

Japanese: 東京市電値上反対事件 - とうきょうしでんねあげはんたいじけん

On March 1, 1906, the three Tokyo City Railway companies, Tokyo City Railroad, Tokyo Electric Railway, and Tokyo Electric Railroad, submitted an application to the prefectural governor and the superintendent general of the Metropolitan Police to raise train fares from a flat 3 sen each to a flat 5 sen for all three companies. Immediately after its founding, the Japan Socialist Party, with the aim of expanding its influence, launched an opposition campaign together with the National Socialist Party, holding speeches and citizen rallies and distributing leaflets. Liberals such as Tagawa Daikichirō and ordinary citizens joined in, and the movement gained momentum. On March 15, the demonstration turned into a riot, and ten Japan Socialist Party members, including Nishikawa Mitsujirō, were arrested on charges of assembling a criminal gang (convicted in 1908), while the Minister of Home Affairs also rejected the application, and the movement temporarily calmed down.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1906年3月1日，東京市内の東京市街鉄道，東京電車鉄道，東京電気鉄道の3会社が各3銭均一の電車賃を3社共通5銭均一に値上げする申請を府知事と警視総監に提出した。結党直後の日本社会党は党勢拡張もかねて国家社会党とともに反対運動に取り組み，演説会･市民大会の開催，ちらし配布等を行った。田川大吉郎らの自由主義者や一般市民も加わり運動は盛り上がった。3月15日デモは暴動化し，西川光二郎ら日本社会党員10名が兇徒聚衆罪で検挙され(1908年有罪確定)，一方，内務大臣も申請を却下し運動は一時鎮静した。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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