Morito Incident

This is a literary scandal involving Morito Tatsuo, an associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of Tokyo Imperial University. Morito's "Study of Kropotkin's Social Thought" published in the Faculty's journal, Economics Research, Vol. 1, No. 1, dated January 1, 1920 (Taisho 9) (actually published in late December of the previous year) was attacked as dangerous by the Kōkoku Doshikai, a group led by Professor Uesugi Shinkichi. The government also took issue with this, and Morito was suspended from work on January 10. On the 14th, Morito and Ouchi Hyōe, an associate professor at the same faculty who had signed the editorial, were indicted. After the Tokyo District Court found Morito guilty on March 3 and the Tokyo Court of Appeals on June 29, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal on October 22. Under Article 42 of the Newspaper Law, which charged them with disrupting the Imperial Constitution, Morito was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a 70 yen fine, and Ouchi to one month's imprisonment (suspended for one year) and a 20 yen fine, and both men lost their jobs at Tokyo Imperial University, with Morito being imprisoned on November 4. While there were few voices defending Morito within the university, public opinion, led by commentators and the Reimei Society, was opposed to the move as a crackdown on academic freedom of thought.

[Nomaru Sato]

"Japanese Political Trial History Records Taisho" edited by Wagatsuma Sakae et al. (1969, Daiichi Hoki Publishing)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東京帝国大学経済学部助教授森戸辰男(たつお)の筆禍事件。森戸が、1920年（大正9）1月1日付けの同学部内経済学研究会機関誌『経済学研究』第1巻第1号（実際は前年12月下旬に出版）に発表した「クロポトキンの社会思想の研究」が、上杉慎吉(うえすぎしんきち)教授を指導者とする興国同志会の策動により危険思想と攻撃され、政府もこれを問題として、1月10日森戸は休職処分を受けた。14日には森戸と編集署名人の同学部助教授大内兵衛(ひょうえ)が起訴された。3月3日の東京地裁、6月29日の東京控訴院の有罪判決のあと、10月22日大審院で上告棄却の判決が下された。新聞紙法第42条朝憲紊乱(ちょうけんびんらん)罪により森戸は禁錮3か月・罰金70円、大内は禁錮1か月（執行猶予1年）・罰金20円に処され、両人ともに東京帝大を失職し、森戸は11月4日に下獄した。学内の森戸擁護の声は小さかったが、言論人や黎明(れいめい)会などを中心に、世論は学問思想の自由に対する弾圧であるとして反対した。

［佐藤能丸］

『我妻栄他編『日本政治裁判史録　大正』（1969・第一法規出版）』

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