ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the role of public opinion and public participation in political debate in Japan from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period. Though the censorship of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868) was strict, political views were circulated through networks that involved both samurai and commoners. After the 1868 Meiji Restoration, the fledgling media, such as newspapers and periodicals, and political associations played an important role in developing the sphere of public debate. Although the Meiji government recognized the need for public support to undertake political and social reforms, they considered the control of public opinion indispensable. As a result, the Meiji government found itself in a position that required sensitive manoeuvring. Also, political media and voluntary associations, often mutually competing, were involved in complicated bargaining with the government.