JAPANESE SUFFRAGE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 34, 8 August 1925, Page 16

JAPANESE SUFFRAGE

THOSE WHO CAN'NOW VOTE

Up to 1919 the suffrage in Japan was confined to male citizens about 25 years of age paying a direct national tax of 10 yen (about 5 dol.) or more. The percentage of voters was a little over 28 fur every 1000 of the male population. In 1920 this law was revised so as to lower the tax paid by the voter to 3 yen, or about 1.50 dol., states Mi-. K. K. Kawakami in the "Independent." By this revision the percentage of voters increased to about 102 per 1000 of the male population. Tif other words, 2,860,----000 out of the total male population of 28,041,311 were qualified voters. By the. manhood suffrage law the number of voters lias been increased to 14,000,000, that is, ono. voter to every two of tho male popiilntirnj. Strangely, this signal stride toward democracy in Japanese politics has been coupled witlt what a Liberal might call a reactionary measure. This is a "law directed ajriiinst llio Communistic movement which tho Japanese of the Conservative class fear'. nil-,'lit be -strengthened by Russian, recognition. Naturally, it was made the' butt of ridicule- and nssail fit the hands of practically all I'ro !c'.s'-'nc;.. Japanese- newspapers. Tlie lav- im-poses an imprixoniiicnt not exceeding len rears upon any person who "forms a.-youp'or joins n#l'our>. witlt llir, object of. mjbvci'f i'nj; the national Coiwliiitiott :or of destroying the jnstitutitm gl £i;ivMSr£lp£eitj,,'i •