1908 Japanese general election

1908 Japanese general election

15 May 1908
All 379 seats in the House of Representatives 190 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Saionji Kinmochi Party Rikken Seiyūkai Kensei Hontō Last election 33.47%, 33 seats 26.19%, 90 seats Seats won 187 70 Seat change 54 20 Popular vote 649,858 288,243 Percentage 48.40% 21.47% Swing 14.93pp 4.72pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Collective leadership Party Yūkōkai Daidō Club Last election  – 12.76%, 58 seats Seats won 29 29 Seat change New 29 Popular vote 99,690 92,477 Percentage 7.42% 6.89% Swing New 5.87pp
Prime Minister before election Saionji Kinmochi Rikken Seiyūkai Prime Minister after election 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	48.40	187	+54
	Kensei Hontō	288,243	21.47	70	–20
	Yūkōkai	99,690	7.42	29	New
	Daidō Club	92,477	6.89	29	–29
	Others	212,377	15.82	64	+9
Total		1,342,645	100.00	379	0
Valid votes		1,342,645	99.00
Invalid/blank votes		13,534	1.00
Total votes		1,356,179	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,590,045	85.29
Source: Mackie & Rose