About This Print

This print pictures the emperor and empress in bust portraits flanking the interior of the First Temporary Diet Building. The Meiji government published an imperial rescript in 1881 calling for the first session of the Imperial Diet to be convened in 1890. The first House of Representatives election was held on 1 July 1890 (Meiji 23), with 300 seats to be filled. The franchise was limited to males, with only some one percent of the total population eligible to vote.  

The Makeup of the First Diet

Source: A Chronology of Japanese History Written and compiled by David Turkington http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/japanhistory/meijihistory.html
The first Diet was elected in July 1890 and convened in November. Virtually all of the new Diet members opposed the government and ended up organized as 60 members in Goto's Daidō (General Agreement Group) and 50 members in each of the two major parties - the Liberal Party (Jiyūtō - Itagaki supporters) and the Reform Party (Kaishintō - ōkuma supporters). The remaining 140 members were all independents with nothing in common.