日本幕末至明治初期的选举政治实践

Practice of Japanese Electoral Politics from theEnd of Edo Period to the Early Meiji Period

幕末至明治初期,日本政府及民间对选举政治展开了较活跃的理论探讨。随着理论探讨的逐步深入,在政治思想领域,“选举”一词的内涵逐渐从明治初年的官员选拔、举荐转变为专指议会的议员选举。与理论探讨相伴行,在频繁的制度调整中,日本中央及地方各级政府也试行了一些选举举措及选举制度调查。中央政府的议政官上下局、公议所、集议院、左院、元老院等,均具议政机构性质,且它们间有一定承袭关系。从其成员遴选及所进行的制度调查来看,具有扩大参政人群、选拔议政人才的目的,可以看作是中央政府的保守的选举政治实践。同期伴随地方制度改革,特别是受自由民权运动推动,政府在地方层面进行了比较开放的选举政治实践。各类地方民会的议员选举实践,为后来开设国会时的选举制度设计积累了经验,培养了议政人才。在这些早期选举政治探讨及实践中,既能看到西方政治观念与传统政治文化的杂糅与碰撞,又能看到官方和民间各种不同政治思潮、政治诉求、政治探索的交织与纠葛,显现了明治初期的复杂政治实相。

From the End of Edo Period to the Early Meiji Period,there were active theoretical discussions in the Japanese government and civil society on electoral politics.With the gradual deepening of theoretical discussion,in the realm of political thought,the meaning of election has gradually changed from official selection and recommendation to parliamentary election.Accompanied by theoretical discussion,the central and local governments at all levels have also tried out some election measures and electoral system investigation in the frequent system adjustment.The Gisei-kan,The kogisho,The shugiin,The Sain and The Genroin all had the nature of institutions that discuss politics,and there was a certain inheritance relationship between them.The selection of the constituent members of those institutions and the institutional investigation carried out by them are all aimed at enlarging the scope of political participants and promoting talents.It can be seen as a conservative electoral political practice by the central government.At the same time,accompanied by the local system reform,especially driven by the freedom and civil rights movement,the government carried out relatively open electoral political practice at the local level.The practice of election of members of the local assembly had accumulated experience in the design of the election system when the assembly was later established,and cultivated talents for political discussion.In the discussions and practices of early election politics,we can see not only the mixture and collision of western political ideas and traditional political culture,but also the interweaving and entanglement of different political trends,political demands,and political explorations.The complex political reality of the early Meiji era is revealed.