PARLIAMENT, December 22.
Tue twenty-seventh session of the Japanese Diet opened on Tuesday and greater interest than usual must be felt in its proceedings by foreign observers who have watched the trend of recent political events in Japan. With the exception of the famous War Diet of 1904 the two Houses of the Japanese Parliament have never, perhaps, been faced with such grave and important ions as now await their con-
While the power of the to compel a Government with which House of Representatives actuall
it is dissatisfied to resign is denied by the Constitution, it is not likely that any Cabinet would dare for long to resist definite popular condemnation. The "swing of the pendulum" principle obtains in politics in Japan, as it does in Anglo-Saxon communities. A Ministry that has held office for three years in Japan is looked upon as a phenomenon, although constitution ally a Ministry is impregnable, long as it retains the confidence of the Emperor. In practice, however, when the current of public opinion has set against! a Government, even though it has not been given definite express sion in the shape of an adverse vote in Parliament, the Ministry finds it advisable to send in its resignation. The political student might find in this a proof that once: the shadow of Coristitational Government is cast across a country the shadow tends insensibly to become substantial. Be that as it may it, is a recorded fact that since 1890 there have been eleven Ministries in office in Japan, and the year 1898 saw no fewer than three changes of administration. The Governments that have held office for the greatest length of time hitherto were the Ito Minisi from 1891 to 1896, and the first Katsura Ministry, from 1901 to 1905. The present administration, at the head of which is Marquis resignation of Marquis Saionji.
Theoretically a Japanese Ministry should be unassailable, actually its life is shorter, proportionately, than that of Ministries in countries where an adverse Parliamentary vote involves a summary suspension of activities, The position of "the Japaséee Ministry differs from that of Great Britain in that there is no Government party in the Lower House, as, for example, the Liberals in the House of Commons. Also, it must be added, there is no Opposition. Tu the Jast session the Government had the support of the Seiywkai, which numbered 204 members, out of a total membership of 367. The only other two parties of importance are the Aokuminéo, which has ninety-two members, and the Chuo, which has fifty. The issue, therefore, rests entirely with the Seiyukai, should any endeavour be made to oust "the Katsura Ministry. It has been remarked that some of the leaders of the Seiyukai have been outspoken in their criticisms of the Government, but this in Japan as is the case in similar circumstances elsewhere, does not necessarily mean, if the Government be directly challenged, that the party's support will be withdrawn. For example the Labourites in England have been unmeasured in their denunciation of the Government for not immediately seeking to reverse the Osborne Judgement, but no one would conclude from that that the support of the Labourites could ipso facto' be relied upon to upset the Asquith Ministry. Many of the Japanese papers appear to believe that the denunciations of the Government are merely stage thunder and that should there be a crisis, Marquis Katsura will be able easily to call the Seiyukai to heel. According to the " Tokio Asahi," a moderate and usually well-informed while the electors are not altogether satisfied with the Katsura Ministry at the present time, they would not consent to replace it with any Ministry that could be formed by the Seiyukai.
The most important question from a foreign point of view with which the Diet will concern itself is the new Tariff. Unofficial Tepresentations in connexion with what is regarded as the penalization of British trade hays fore made persistently since the incidence of the try.|stood, and Sir Edward new Tariff became cistly under-rey has announced that the matter has been receiving also sustained official tention. It is but fair to the Kat. sura Government to acknowledge nal from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.