Fukushima incident - Fukushima Jiken

In 1882 (Meiji 15), Fukushima Prefectural Governor Mishima Michitsune severely suppressed a movement for self-government and rights restoration by members of the Liberal Party in Fukushima Prefecture and the local Aizu residents led by the party members. Fukushima Prefecture was an early location of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, and when the Liberal Party was formed in October 1881, branches were soon established in both Fukushima and Aizu, establishing the party organization and expanding its influence. Under these circumstances, Mishima, who took up his post as prefectural governor in February 1882, boasted that he would eradicate the Liberal Party, and carried out arbitrary politics while neglecting and ignoring the prefectural assembly. The prefectural assembly, chaired by Kono Hironaka and dominated by civil rights supporters, was outraged by the governor's tyranny and oppression, and in May of the same year rejected all the bills submitted by the governor, opposing him (the incident in which bills were rejected every time). Meanwhile, during this time, Mishima planned and began construction of a major road (the so-called Three-way Road) starting from Aizu-Wakamatsu, connecting Yamagata, Tochigi, and Niigata, and in June 1582 he issued an official announcement assessing the route and collecting prostitution fees (prior to this, all men and women aged 15 to 60 in the Aizu region were required to perform prostitution for one day per month for two years, and if they failed to fulfill their service, they were required to pay a prostitution fee of 15 sen per day for men and 10 sen per day for women).

A widespread resident movement against the arbitrary policy of the prefectural governor arose, and Aizu Liberal Party members took the lead in this movement, calling for an extraordinary joint meeting of the six Aizu districts in July, deciding to sue the prefectural governor and district governors in August, and in September drawing up a "Rights Restoration Regulations" to strengthen the organization of the opposition alliance, while pushing ahead with a lawsuit to halt the construction and resist prison sentences. In November, they even drew up "special internal regulations" to continue and strengthen the movement. However, in proportion to the actions of the Liberal Party members and residents, the oppression by the authorities became more severe, with violence by members of the Imperial Party, which was formed with the support of the authorities, forcing them to perform forced labor and collecting wages for them, seizing property and forcing it to be sold off, and arresting leaders one after another.

As a result, on November 28, 1882, several thousand enraged residents gathered at Danjo-ga-hara, a suburb of what is now Kitakata City, denounced the tyranny of the prefectural governor, and then stormed into Kitakata Police Station, demanding the release of arrested movement leaders such as Uda Seiichi. However, they were forced to retreat by the police with drawn swords, and many members of the opposition alliance were arrested on charges of "assembling a group of villains" (Kitakata Incident). This incident was also used as an excuse to arrest Kono and other members of the Liberal Party in the prefecture, and in February of the following year, 57 people who were considered to be leaders were sent to the High Court for criminal treason for plotting civil war. Most were acquitted after a preliminary investigation, but Kono and six other leaders of the Fukushima Liberal Party were accused of plotting to overthrow the government and were sentenced to light imprisonment.

The Fukushima Incident is considered to be an event of particular historical significance in the history of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement for the following reasons: it was the first form of widespread intensification of peasant activity, it established an alliance between wealthy Liberal farmers and ordinary cultivators, and the movement developed into a rivalry between the public and private sectors over local autonomy and regional development.

[Kunio Yasuzai]

"Fukushima Prefecture History Volume 11" (1964, Fukushima Prefecture)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1882年（明治15）、福島県の自由党員と同党員の指導を受けた会津(あいづ)地方住民の自治・権利回復運動が、県令三島通庸(みしまみちつね)により大弾圧された事件。福島県は早くから自由民権運動が起こった所で、81年10月自由党が結成されると、まもなく福島、会津にそれぞれ支部がつくられ党組織の確立と党勢拡張が図られた。このような状況下の82年2月県令として赴任した三島は自由党撲滅を豪語し、県会を軽視・無視して専断的な政治を強行した。河野広中(こうのひろなか)を議長とし民権派が多数を占める県会は、県令の専横・圧政に憤激して同年5月県令提出の議案を総否決、県令に対抗した（議案毎号否決事件）。一方、この間三島は、会津若松を起点に山形、栃木、新潟に通ずる大道路（いわゆる三方道路）建設工事を計画・着手し、82年6月には路線の査定、代夫賃の徴収（これより先、15歳以上60歳以下の会津地方の住民男女は2か年間毎月1日の夫役が課せられ、服役負担を怠ると1日男子15銭、女子10銭の代夫賃納入が決められていた）を公達した。

　この県令の独断的施策に広範な住民の反対運動が興起、会津自由党員はその先頭にたち、7月会津6郡の臨時連合会開催を要求、8月には県令、郡長らの告訴を決め、さらに9月に入ると「権利回復規約書」を作成して反対同盟の組織を強化しつつ、工事の中止と服役不服の訴訟運動を推し進めた。そして11月には、運動を継続・強化するための「特別内規約」まで定めた。しかし、このような自由党員・住民の動向に比例して官憲の弾圧も過酷さを増し、官憲の援助のもとに結成された帝政党員による暴行、夫役の強制と代夫賃の徴収、財産差押えと公売処分の強行、指導者の逮捕などが相次いだ。

　そのため1882年11月28日、激高した数千に及ぶ住民が現在の喜多方(きたかた)市郊外の弾正(だんじょう)が原に集合、県令の暴政を糾弾したのち喜多方署に押し寄せ、宇田成一(うだせいいち)ら運動のリーダーで捕縛されている者の釈放を要求した。しかし、抜刀警官に退散を余儀なくされたうえ、「兇徒聚衆(きょうとしゅうしゅう)罪」の罪名で反対同盟関係者が多数検挙された（喜多方事件）。またこの事件を口実に河野ら県下の自由党員も一斉に捕らえられ、翌年2月指導者と目された57名が内乱陰謀の国事犯として高等法院へ送られた。予審の結果大半は免訴となったが、河野以下福島自由党の領袖(りょうしゅう)6名が政府転覆の計画をしたとされ軽禁獄に処せられた。

　福島事件は、広範な農民激化の最初の形態であったこと、自由党派豪農層と一般耕作民の指導＝同盟関係が成立したこと、地方自治・地域開発をめぐる官民の二つの対抗関係として運動が展開したことなどの点で、自由民権運動史のなかでもとくに大きな歴史的意義をもつ事件とされている。

［安在邦夫］

『『福島県史　第11巻』（1964・福島県）』

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