近代日本“一君万民”构造下选举权观念的流变及其特质

The Transformation of the Suffrage and Its Characters under the Structure of‘Ikkun Banmin’in Early Modern Japan

受西方对天赋人权、自然权利批判的影响,在近代日本选举权被视作“特别之公权利”,与爱君爱国、天皇统治相一致,个人私权利受到国家公共利益的限制。明治宪法受国家有机体说的影响,在“一君万民”构造下,天皇赋予民众选举权,并生发出普选的可能。同时,天皇为解除自身政治责任而标榜公正无私,进而趋于“虚化”。随着选举权的扩大,选举的公正性不断强化。1932年“五·一五事件”后,举国一致内阁开展选举肃正运动,选举获得翼赞天皇之神圣意味,但随后大政翼赞会的“违宪嫌疑”使神圣选举显露破绽。近代日本选举权与天皇统治不断融合,却使其“一君万民”构造陷入危机,从而内生出自我革命的契机,并有了向象征天皇制和国民主权开放的可能。

Whenever facing national crises and influenced by the criticism of the Western theories such as natural rights,the suffrage was considered as a‘special public right’in early modern Japan.This complied with the Japanese thought regarding the Emperor-and-Country loving and the Tenno-Seido.Therefore,the private rights owned by an individual were conditioned by the nation's public interests.Under the Meiji Constitution underpinned by the state organic view,the Mikado endowed his people with the rights to vote under the structure of‘Ikkun Banmin’,and then general election.Meanwhile,in order to get rid of his political responsibilities,the Mikado emphasised his fairness and justice,and his status became only in name.With the ever-enlarging suffrage,the fairness of elections was also increasingly emphasised.Following the‘May Fifteenth Incident’in 1932,the Cabinet launched rectification movements of elections which represented the holy meaning of assisting the Mikado.However,later elections were flawed by the‘unconstitutional suspicion’of the Taisho-Assisting Party.The suffrage of early modern Japan has continually harmonized with the Tenno-Seido,jeopardising‘Ikkun Banmin’.Eventually,this provided opportunities for revolution which happened inside,and for making it possible to open for the symbolic Tenno-Seido and national sovereignty.