First Ōkuma Cabinet

First Ōkuma Cabinet

8th Cabinet of Japan
June – November 1898
Date formedJune 30, 1898
Date dissolvedNovember 8, 1898
People and organisations
EmperorMeiji
Prime MinisterŌkuma Shigenobu
History
ElectionAugust 1898 general election
Legislature termsMarch–August 1898
August 1898–1902
PredecessorThird Itō Cabinet
SuccessorSecond Yamagata Cabinet

The First Ōkuma Cabinet was the eighth Cabinet of Japan, and was led by Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu from June 30 to November 8, 1898. It was Japan's first party-based cabinet, with all ministers except the two service ministers drawn from the Kenseitō.

The cabinet was formed only days after the Kenseitō was founded, through the merger of Ōkuma's Shimpotō and the Itagaki Taisuke's Jiyūtō. Internal divisions persisted, leading to a party split and the cabinet's collapse in November 1898.[1]

Cabinet

First Ōkuma Cabinet
Portfolio Minister Political party Term start Term end
Prime Minister Count Ōkuma Shigenobu Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister for Foreign Affairs Count Ōkuma Shigenobu Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of Home Affairs Count Itagaki Taisuke Kenseitō
(former Jiyūtō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of Finance Matsuda Masahisa Kenseitō
(former Jiyūtō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of the Army Viscount Katsura Tarō Military (Army) June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of the Navy Marquess Saigō Jūdō Military (Navy) June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of Justice Ohigashi Gitetsu Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of Education Ozaki Yukio Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
June 30, 1898 October 27, 1898
Inukai Tsuyoshi Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
October 27, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Ōishi Masami Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Minister of Communications Hayashi Yūzō Kenseitō
(former Jiyūtō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Chief Cabinet Secretary Taketomi Tokitoshi Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
June 30, 1898 November 8, 1898
Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau Ume Kenjirō Independent June 30, 1898 July 27, 1898
Komuchi Tomotsune Kenseitō
(former Shimpotō)
July 27, 1898 November 8, 1898
Source:[2]

References

  1. ^ "2‑18 Birth of the "Waihan" (OKUMA‑ITAGAKI) Cabinets". Modern Japan in archives. National Diet Library. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  2. ^ "First Ōkuma Cabinet". Prime Minister's Official Residence. Archived from the original on 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2022-03-05.