It appears that the Diet's lower house was little other than a constitutional nicety, its wings easily clipped by the conservative elements in Japanese politics – the structural makeup as defined by the Meiji constitution made it so. ... What can be seen as a driving force in the progression of political thought in 1920's Japan were the currents of liberal, individualist, rights-based ideology that had sprung from recourse to both Western philosophy and more traditional Japanese ideas of disobedience and resistance to authority. ...

• Word Count: 2458
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Graduate