Japanese Nationalist Party (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

The Nationalist Party of Japan, also known as Kokumintō (ワコクコクミント ウ ; 和國國民黨) is the founding and ruling political party of the Republic of Japan. Although nominally it exists alongside the National Front, a coalition of governing political parties, in practice, the Nationalist Party is the only ruling party in Japan, maintaining a unitary government and centralizing the state, military, and media. The current political chief of the Nationalist Party is Tanigaki Sadakazu.

Pre-Civil War
The Nationalist Party of Japan traces its roots to the Konkikai (紺旗會, literally “Blue Flag Society”), a secret Japanese nationalist organization that founded by Nagayama Yoshida, a veteran of Spanish-Japanese War, and Kita Ikki, a nationalist intellectual in 1907. The Konkikai’s political ideology was mostly a syncretic amalgamation of militant Japanese nationalism, social progressivism, economic socialism, and political republicanism. In 1910, the Konkikai joined the mainstream Japanese politics by merged with Kaishin Hontō and other smaller parties to form the Constitutional Nationalist Party (立憲國民黨 Rikken Kokumintō), led by Inukai Tsuyoshi.

In the 1912 General Election, the new party secured 95 seats, making it the single largest opposition party (to the Constitutional Party) in the Lower House. In January 1913, about half of the Constitutional Nationalist Party defected to join the Constitutional Party (憲政黨 Kenseitō). As result, left-wing Toseiha faction, who consisted by former Konkikai members, came into dominance within the Constitutional Nationalist Party. Toseiha faction, under the leadership of Nagayama Yoshida, incorporated most of their progressive programs into the party's platform, such as civilian control of the military, nationalization of the railways, land reform, and advocacy for the cause of working classes. Nihon Nomin Kumiai (日本農民組合 “Japanese Farmers’ Union”), an agrarian movement under Arima Yoriyasu and Yuaikai (友愛會 "Fraternity"), a moderate labour organization under Suzuki Bunji, were associated with the party, especially with Toseiha, during this period.

Thanks to Nagayama’s effort, the party gained 80 seats in the 1917 General Election, making it regained again the position as the second largest opposition party in the Lower House of Imperial Diet. During the Rice Riots of 1918, the party strongly against the government’s violent suppression on the demonstrators, especially the Hibiya Park Massacre that killed 50 individuals and injured 327 others. Due to his fiery speech on the Diet that attacked the Imperial Regency, the leadership of the Imperial Army, and the cabinet of Iwasaki Hisaya, Nagayama Yoshida was kidnapped and detained by Kempeitai, the Imperial Japanese secret police, for about 10 hours on November 15, 1918.

Nagayama’s kidnapping sparked a protest from the Constitutional Nationalist members on the Imperial Diet who demanded the immediate resignation of Constitutional Party’s government under Prime Minister Iwasaki Hisaya. Iwasaki resigned as prime minister on November 19, 1918 and replaced by an Army figure, Hasegawa Yoshimichi, instead of Hara Takahashi, a Constitutional Party candidate for the premiership that had been approved by most of political factions on the Parliament. Under Hasegawa, the Imperial government took more radical measures in response on the Japanese revolutionary situation by implemented the Martial Law that subsequently approved by Prince Regent Fushimi Sadanaru on November 25, 1918.

With the election of Hasegawa as prime minister, the Constitutional Nationalist members on the Diet were resigned en masse as an act of protest. On December 1, 1918, Inukai Tsuyoshi resigned from his position as the president of the Constitutional Nationalist Party and Nagayama Yoshida, leading pro-revolution figure, was elected to replace him. With Nagayama as the party leader, the Constitutional Nationalists merged with Kokuryukai, Rōsōkai, and other smaller nationalist groups to form the Nationalist Party of Japan on December 13, 1918. The new party was organized along the Democratic Centralist lines, similar with the Bolshevik Party in order to become a vanguard party of the farmers, workers, intellectuals, and merchants. The Nationalist Party adopted a deep blue flag with white star on its centre as the party's symbol.

Under Nagayama’s leadership, the Nationalist Party took a pro-revolution stance and openly called for the establishment of the Republican government in Japan. The Nationalists undertook an extraparliamentary struggle against the Japanese ruling establishment by symbolically moved its headquarters on December 21, 1918 to Nagoya that already fallen under the influence of revolutionary movement, before finally moved to Kyoto, the old capital of Japan, on January 7, 1919.

Japanese Civil War
The Central Committee of the Nationalist Party of Japan was met for the first time in Kyoto on January 11, 1919 and adopted a motion that known as the Kyoto Declaration on January 14. The motion itself called for the formation of Council of National Salvation as the unified military command of the revolutionary forces and the immediate takeover of national government by the revolutionary movement. Nagayama was elected as its chairman. In response with the formation of Council of National Salvation, the Imperial Diet of Japan established the Supreme Military Command which headed by Prince Kan'in Kotohito to restore law and order in the country as well as to suppress the revolt.

On February 13, 1919, the first National Congress of Japan was convened by the Nationalist Party at the Kyoto City Hall, Kyoto. About 400 delegates, represented the workers’ unions, peasant organizations, cooperative movements, youth movements, women movements, and revolutionary militias throughout Japan, were invited by the Nationalist Party to establish a new government of Japan. On February 16, 1919, coincided with the date of traditional National Independence Day of Japan, the National Congress declared the establishment of the Republic of Japan. The Provisional National Government of the Republic of Japan was formed with Inukai Tsuyoshi as prime minister.

Ideology and Political Role
main article: Social Nationalism

The Nationalist Party of Japan is embracing the ideals of Social Nationalism, National Democracy, and Scientific Pragmatism, as stated in the Party Constitution:


 * “The Nationalist Party of Japan setting its goal according to the ideals of National Struggle and People’s State; running its organization according to the principle of National Democracy; and promulgating its policy for the people’s welfare in a pragmatic and scientific way.”

The first official ideology of the Nationalist Party of Japan is “Nagayama Yoshida-Kita Ikki’s Political Thought”, which formally called as "Nagayamaism-Kitaism", which introduced at the First Party Congress on 1924. “Nagayamaism-Kitaism” consisted of the elements of Pan-Asianism and Fascism at the wake of Italian Fascism. While the concept of National Democracy has calling for the inter-party democracy, "Nagayamaism-Kitaism" believed that it is necessary for the presence of a strong, charismatic leader to unite the party’s feuding factions. This concept was mirroring Italian Fascist concept of Duce or German National Socialist concept of Führer. "Nagayamaism-Kitaism" also believed that before international harmony between the nations can be achieved, the nations in Asia must strengthening and liberating themselves first. Japan, as the first modernized Asian country, is destined to be leader of the liberation of Asia.

After the death of Kita Ikki on 1949 and Nagayama Yoshida on 1952, the Nationalist Party was dominated by more progressive-minded leadership. Following the ideal of Scientific Pragmatism, “Nagayamaism-Kitaism” was removed from the Party Constitution by the Sixth Party Congress on 1955. The party democratization was embraced by new party ideology, “Pragmatic Social Development” that conceived by new party’s informal leader, Nosaka Sanzo. According to the ideology of Pragmatic Social Development, one-man leadership was discouraged following the abolition of the post of Party President and the collective leadership was emphasized by the Party Constitution. The state control on economic life was also relaxed and the new social welfare system that modeled after American, British, and Scandinavian welfare state was adopted.

Organization
Although the Nationalist Party is not a Marxist-Leninist party, the party's organizational structure was modeled after the Soviet Communist Party.

The highest organ of the Nationalist Party of Japan is the Party Congress that held every four years. The Party Congress then electing the Central Committee that consists of 100 members who having the right to vote and additional non-voting members. The Central Committee is acting on the behalf of the Party Congress while the Congress was not in session. The Central Committee then in turn will elect the Central Leadership of the Nationalist Party, that consists of General Political Office, General Military Office and Central Secretariat.

The party main decision-making bodies is the General Political Office of the Nationalist Party of Japan (國民黨政治局 Kokumintō Seiji-kyoku), more known as the GPO (政治局 Seiji-kyoku) consisted by ten members with voting rights and additional non-voting members. The GPO formulates and regulates the Party policies which later will ratified by the Central Committee and implemented by the Secretariat. The General Political Office handling the party departments that administering the policy of the Party toward the public, consists of Agricultural Department, that administer the Party’s agrarian policy on the rural areas; Commercial Department, that administer the Party’s policy over the national commercial activities; and Labor Department, that work over the issues and welfare of industrial workers. The Chief of GPO is usually considered as de facto Party leader.

The General Military Office of the Nationalist Party of Japan (國民黨軍事局 Kokumintō Gunji-kyoku), or more known as the GMO (軍事局 Gunji-kyoku) has powers to supervise the Japanese Armed Forces and to impose the principle of "Party Army" over the armed forces. The General Military Office handling the party departments that administering the policy of the Party toward the Japanese Armed Forces, consists of Army Department, that appoint and oversee the party commissars within the Japanese Army; Navy Department, that appoint and oversee the party commissars within the Japanese Navy; and Mobilization Department, that administer the matters that related to the civil defense training and military reserves. The Chief of GMO is usually considered de-facto Party vice-leader.

The Central Secretariat of the Nationalist Party of Japan (國民黨中央事務局 Kokumintō Chūō Jimukyoku), usually referred as the Secretariat (事務局 Jimukyoku) served as the Party national-level administration, consisted by First Secretary as the head of Secretariat, Second Secretary as the deputy and other seven Party Secretaries. The Central Secretariat handling the party departments that administering the party’s organization, consists of Disciplinary Department, that enforce the party discipline over the party organization and all party members and hold an auditory control over all party offices; the Propaganda Department, that control the party- and state-owned newspaper, Kokumin Nippo; Ideological Department, that control the Central Party School and administer the study of political ideologies; Financial Department, that administer the party’s financial matters and Youth Department, that administer the relations between the Party and the Nationalist-affiliated National Youth League

Before 1952, the position of Party President existed. The Party President was elected by the Party Congress and along with the Central Committee making a part of the Central Leadership of the Party. Only person who ever held the position as Party President was Nagayama Yoshida that held the office from 1919 until his death in 1952. After Nagayama’s death, the position of Party President was abolished and its powers are collectively shared by the Three Central Offices of the Central Party Leadership.

At the lower levels of organizational hierarchy, the Party was managed by the local committees which headed by the local Party Chief which elected by the local Party Congress every four years. The lowest level of the party organization is the Party local cells which created at least by five cadres in every neighborhood levels as the nucleus organization of the party. This local cells managing and overseeing the runs of local business, schools, communal security and other community activities at the neighborhood levels.