The Ryokufūkai (, "Green Breeze Society") was a political party in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

History

The Ryokufūkai was established in May 1947 by a group of 74 members of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

, and within a month, a further 18 members had joined it, meaning it was the largest faction in the chamber.Haruhiro Fukui (1985) ''Political parties of Asia and the Pacific'', Greenwood Press, pp611–612 Its formation was an attempt to continue the House of Councillors' tradition of discussing issues in a non-partisan way. However, the gradual development of a party system made it increasingly difficult for the Ryokufūkai candidates to be elected. The party won only nine seats in the June 1950 elections, reducing it to 50 members. It won 16 seats in the

1953 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1953. Africa * 1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election * 1953 South African general election * 1953 Southern Rhodesian federation referendum * 1953 South-West African legislative election * 1 ...

and five in the

1956 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1956. Africa * 1956 Gold Coast legislative election * 1956 Italian Somaliland parliamentary election * 1956–1957 Kenyan legislative election * 1956 Nyasaland general election Asia * 1956 Burmese gene ...

, by which time it had been reduced to 31 seats in total. It won six seats in the 1959 elections, meaning it had only 11 seats in total. In January 1960 it was dissolved and replaced by the Dōshikai.

References

Defunct political parties in Japan Political parties established in 1947 1947 establishments in Japan Political parties disestablished in 1960 1960 disestablishments in Japan {{Japan-party-stub