Commoner's Newspaper - Heimin Shinbun

A socialist newspaper published in Tokyo in the late Meiji period. It was launched on November 15, 1903 (weekly) by Kotoku Shusui and Sakai Toshihiko, who opposed the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, to maintain their anti-war stance. It was based on the principles of freedom, equality, and fraternity, and advocated populism, socialism, and pacifism. Ishikawa Sanshiro, Nishikawa Mitsujiro and others were in the company, and Kinoshita Naoe and others also supported it, but Sakai received a light two-month imprisonment for the editorial "Ah, Tax Increases" in the 20th issue, and the first anniversary issue was banned for publishing a translation of the "Communist Manifesto." Fines and bans on sale and distribution continued, and finally the printing presses of the printing company Kokko were confiscated, so the 64th issue, published on January 29, 1905, was printed in red to commemorate the end of Marx and Engels' Neue Rheinische Zeitung, and the newspaper was discontinued. After that, successor papers were sprung up one after another, and on January 15, 1907, Ishikawa, Nishikawa, Takeuchi Kaneshichi, Kotoku, Sakai and others launched the daily "Heimin Shimbun." However, due to internal ideological conflicts, financial difficulties caused by the suspension of sales and distribution, and the fact that the editor, printer, and writer of the 63rd issue, "An Appeal to the Young People," were indicted on charges of violating the Imperial Constitution, the 75th issue was again printed entirely in red and was discontinued on April 14th.

[Akihiko Sunohara]

"Collection of Editorials in the Commoner Newspaper, edited by Shigeru Hayashi and Choju Nishida (Iwanami Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治後期、東京で発刊された社会主義新聞。日露開戦に反対した幸徳秋水(こうとくしゅうすい)、堺利彦(さかいとしひこ)が、反戦の立場を貫くために1903年（明治36）11月15日創刊した（週刊）。自由、平等、博愛を基本とし、平民主義、社会主義、平和主義を唱えた。石川三四郎、西川光二郎(みつじろう)らが在社、木下尚江(なおえ)らも応援したが、第20号の社説「嗚呼(ああ)増税」で堺が2か月の軽禁錮に処せられたのをはじめ、一周年記念号に「共産党宣言」を訳載して発禁を受けるなど、罰金、発売頒布禁止が続き、最後には印刷所国光(こっこう)社の印刷機械も没収されたため、05年1月29日の第64号を、マルクス・エンゲルスの『新ライン新聞』の終刊にちなんで赤刷りとし、廃刊した。その後、後継紙が相次いだが、07年1月15日、石川、西川、竹内兼七(かねしち)、幸徳、堺らによって、日刊の『平民新聞』が創刊された。しかし、内部の思想的対立、ならびに発売頒布停止処分による経営難に加えて、第63号の「青年に訴ふ」が朝憲紊乱(びんらん)罪で編集人、印刷人、筆者が起訴されたこともあり、4月14日第75号をふたたび全紙赤刷りにして廃刊した。

［春原昭彦］

『林茂・西田長寿編『平民新聞論説集』（岩波文庫）』

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