Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party
Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (中央執行委員会委員長, Chūō Shikkō Iinkai Iinchō) was the highest responsible position, equivalent to party leader, in the Japan Socialist Party (JSP), which existed from 1945 to 1996.
Overview
The position produced two Prime Ministers of Japan: Tetsu Katayama and Tomiichi Murayama. Under the 1955 System, as the leader of the largest opposition party, the chairman's statements and actions attracted significant attention.
Initially, the chairman was elected by delegates at the party congress. From 1978 onward, it was chosen by direct election among party members.
Although the chairman was the party's top executive, their control was not particularly strong. The party was divided between left-wing and right-wing factions, and a customary practice emerged where if the chairman came from one faction, the secretary-general would come from the opposing faction to balance power. Lower executive positions were selected by the party congress with similar factional balance in mind, often resulting in officials whose views differed from the chairman's. At the 41st continued party congress in 1977, the chairman was authorized to appoint non-standing central executive committee members.
Following the assassination of Inejirō Asanuma, secretary-general Saburō Eda was promoted to acting chairman. Although he never formally assumed the position of chairman, party histories and records treat him as equivalent in status.
In 1996, the Japan Socialist Party changed its name to the Social Democratic Party, where the top leader is called "party leader" (党首, tōshu) rather than chairman.
List of Chairmen of the Japan Socialist Party
| No. | Chairman | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Japan Socialist Party | |||
| 1 | Tetsu Katayama[1]
|
September 28, 1946 – January 16, 1950 | |
| Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (Left) | |||
| — | Mosaburō Suzuki | January 19, 1951 – October 12, 1955 | |
| Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (Right) | |||
| — | Jōtarō Kawakami[1] | January 18, 1953 – October 12, 1955 | |
| Chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (Unified Left-Right) | |||
| 2 | Mosaburō Suzuki | October 13, 1955 – March 21, 1960 | |
| 3 | Inejirō Asanuma[2] | March 23, 1960 – October 12, 1960 | |
| — | Saburō Eda (acting chairman) | October 12, 1960 – March 6, 1961 | |
| 4 | Jōtarō Kawakami | March 6, 1961 – May 6, 1965 | |
| 5 | Kōzō Sasaki | May 6, 1965 – August 19, 1967 | |
| 6 | Seiichi Katsumata | August 19, 1967 – October 4, 1968 | |
| 7 | Tomomi Narita | November 30, 1968 – December 13, 1977[3] | |
| 8 | Ichio Asukata | December 13, 1977 – September 7, 1983 | |
| 9 | Masashi Ishibashi | September 7, 1983 – September 8, 1986 | |
| 10 | Takako Doi | September 8, 1986 – July 31, 1991 | |
| 11 | Makoto Tanabe | July 31, 1991 – January 19, 1993 | |
| 12 | Sadao Yamahana
|
January 19, 1993 – September 25, 1993 | |
| 13 | Tomiichi Murayama
|
September 25, 1993 – January 19, 1996 | |
- indicates those who became Prime Minister during their term.
- indicates the representative at the time the Japan Socialist Party gained power in government.
- indicates the representative at the time the Japan Socialist Party lost power.
Results of Chairman Elections
The chairman position was often decided through prior negotiations between factions, resulting in many uncontested or unanimous selections; contested elections were relatively few.
| Date of vote | Result |
|---|---|
| March 24, 1960 | Inejirō Asanuma 228 votes, Jōtarō Kawakami 206 votes |
| January 22, 1966 | Kōzō Sasaki 295 votes, Saburō Eda 276 votes |
| December 9, 1966 | Kōzō Sasaki 313 votes, Saburō Eda 274 votes |
| December 2, 1970 | Tomomi Narita 207 votes, Saburō Eda 148 votes |
| November 27, 1981 | Ichio Asukata 39,379 votes, Yamaji Mutō 14,721 votes, Masakazu Shimodaira 3,425 votes |
| September 6, 1986 | Takako Doi 58,670 votes, Satoshi Ueda 11,748 votes |
| July 30, 1991 | Makoto Tanabe 46,363 votes, Satoshi Ueda 36,358 votes |
| September 20, 1993 | Tomiichi Murayama 65,446 votes, Masatoshi Itō 18,075 votes |
| January 17, 1996 | Tomiichi Murayama 57,591 votes, Tadatoshi Akiba 10,440 votes |