MOdST CRUSHING DEFEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18708, 14 May 1924, Page 9

MOdST CRUSHING DEFEAT.

JAPANESE MINISTRY. • or*:[ *;?. r .M !? ■ •." •1' SUCCESS OF OPPONENTS; . RIOTS AT ELECTIONS. THE PROSPECTIVE CABINET. KATO MAY BE LEADER. , ' y- ;■ 'v. • ; By Telegraph—Press Association Copyright. •irfv (Received 9.6 p.m.) A. and IT.Z. ' ' TOKIO, May 11 . The latest returns' in connection with the national elections for the new Diet show that the' seats : scoured by the various parties are as follow:— ' Kenseikai .. : . . . . 142 j i Seiyohonto (Government) . . 102 Seyukai .. .. ... 89 I Independents . . .. - . . 63 j Itakushin .. .. .. 29 There remain 59 seats yet in doubt, but |it is believed : that the Kenseikai party will wiu the greater number of these. j The anti-Government parties are certain to have an overwhelming majority. This is the most crushing defeat received by any Japanese Cabinet in the past quarter of a century. M. Mizuno, Minister for Home Affairs, who is urging Viscount Kiyoura, the | Prime Minister, to remain in office, conI ferred with the Marquis Saionji, an elder statesman. He is understood to have asked him to approve of another dissolution of the Diet. It is not believed, however, that venerable leader, will countenance such a step in the face of the avowed unpopularity of the Kiyoura Cabinet. The Kenseikai Party is already preparing a prospective Cabinet list. Viscount Kato is considered to be the most likely aspirant for the Premiership. The announcement of the polls ' in Morioka, Numadzu, and elsewhere led to the recrudescence of disturbances. Partisans of the defeated candidates stormed the rival committee rooms and caused considerable damage to property. Factional fights in Numadzu necessitated calling out the local police and reinforcements from neighbouring towns before order was restored.