ABSTRACT
The Emperor Taishō (1879–1926), who succeeded Emperor Meiji, was in poor health and did not take as active an interest in the affairs of the state as his father did. His physical difficulties, moreover, made it necessary for his son to assume his duties in 1921 and act as regent. Hence, Emperor Taishō did not leave a strong personal imprint upon his reign in the way that Emperor Meiji did. The most serious consequence of the emperor’s weakness was that it created a situation in which the imperial institution could be more easily manipulated by the genrō clique, who were trying at the time to shore up their diminishing authority against the ascendant political parties. Nonetheless, the genrō, for all their desperate and scheming tactics, were incapable of preserving the tradition of nonparty government. They were unable to turn or hold back the tide of history because each man that came to head the government was compelled at one time or another to find some link and base of support in the existing political parties. In September 1918, the first true party government came to power under Hara Takashi. This form of rule, except for a brief hiatus, was to hold sway in Japan until the assassination of Prime Minister Inukai on May 15, 1932.
