1908 Japanese general election

1908 Japanese general election

15 May 1908
All 379 seats to the House of Representatives 190 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Saionji Kinmochi  – Party Rikken Seiyūkai Kensei Hontō Last election 133 seats, 33.5% 90 seats, 26.2% Seats won 187 70 Seat change 54 20 Popular vote 649,858 288,243 Percentage 48.4% 21.5% Swing 14.9% 4.7%
Prime Minister before election Saionji Kinmochi Rikken Seiyūkai Subsequent Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi Rikken Seiyūkai

General elections were held in Japan on 15 May 1908. The result was a victory for the Rikken Seiyūkai party, which won 187 of the 379 seats.

Electoral system

The 379 members of the House of Representatives were elected in 51 multi-member constituencies based on prefectures and cities. Voting was restricted to men aged over 25 who paid at least 10 yen a year in direct taxation.

Campaign

A total of 900 candidates contested the 379 seats.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Rikken Seiyūkai	649,858	48.4	187	+54
Kensei Hontō	288,243	21.5	70	–20
Yūkōkai	99,690	7.4	29	New
Daidō Club	92,477	6.9	29	New
Others	212,377	15.8	64	+9
Invalid/blank votes	13,534	–	–	–
Total	1,356,179	100	379	0
Registered voters/turnout	1,590,045	85.3	–	–
Source: Mackie & Rose