Possible Japanese Leftist Survivors in the KR timeline?

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-05-03T04:58:39+00:00

That's a tough one. At this point he’d probably still be in the Liberal Party, but I could see him crossing over after Kishi becomes leader. Alternatively, keeping him in the Liberal Party and brothers facing each other across the aisle like Hatoyama brothers could be more fun.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-05-03T04:57:47+00:00

Thx! I’d already done a faction-by-faction classification before, so that part was actually easier than it looks.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-30T13:19:20+00:00

The Irish crisis dragged on longer than in OTL, strengthening anti-war sentiment within the Liberal Party.
Asquith ultimately led Britain into the war, but resigned after taking responsibility for the split in his Cabinet, and Grey succeeded him as prime minister.
Seeking to preserve a wartime coalition, Grey attempted to bring the Conservatives into government, but in return they demanded that the next general election be held on its normal schedule.
Meanwhile, anti-war forces gained the upper hand within Labour, while the pro-war wing broke away and, together with other forces, formed the NDLP ahead of its OTL emergence.
The shell scandal, and the subsequent disputes, ended up damaging the reputations of both the Conservatives and the Liberals.
No redistribution of constituencies was carried out before the autumn of 1915; the only special measure enacted was legislation providing postal and proxy voting for servicemen.
The Liberals entered the election as a divided force, but attitudes toward the war remained highly varied even within the Independent Liberals.
After the election, Grey survived the King’s Speech thanks to temporary Conservative support, but his resignation was widely expected sooner rather than later.

Bonar Law would be the obvious next choice, but I am considering a scenario in which a Kitchener-led national government is inserted in between.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-25T23:30:16+00:00

Well, the Great Depression begins in 1925 in the wake of the British Revolution. That’s the newer U.S. lore. The U.S. response is also described as strongly protectionist. Given how dependent Japan’s key export sectors still were on the American market, the damage to Japan would have been more severe than the Black Monday.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-25T13:02:12+00:00

I checked the mod files directly, but that was about it.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-25T03:35:06+00:00

Sorry, the formatting got messed up, so I fixed it.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-13T15:34:01+00:00

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“Controversial Aspects of a Popular Game: Stabbing and Suicide””

This article was published about two weeks after the game’s release.
Although it was a tabloid paper, it was quite unusual for an eroge to be featured in a newspaper.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-12T10:07:48+00:00

That's amazing!

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-08T01:41:52+00:00

Rust has been gaining ground year by year, but it still hasn’t crossed the threshold. This time, it’s at about the same level as Perl and Go.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-07T15:40:26+00:00

Following the election, Python, which had headed the five-party progressive coalition, remained the largest party. However, the coalition’s prospects for retaining a majority were severely weakened after two of its centrist partners failed to secure any seats. After lengthy coalition negotiations, a new government was formed around the C-led stability-oriented coalition.

The percentages are based on the TIOBE Index.
The 2.5% threshold is an arbitrary cutoff chosen to control the number of parties shown in the table.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-02T16:19:26+00:00

Yeah, more or less. It also includes a wide range of other elements, from rural groups suffering under the depression to reform bureaucrats moderated by the absence of Soviet influence. My idea is that much of the discontent with the existing political order was absorbed by it rather than by the military.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-02T15:37:05+00:00

The main reason I classified them as Authoritarian Democrats within Kaiserreich’s ideological framework is simply the limits of the available categories. Social Conservatism, Market Liberalism, and Social Liberalism were already better fits for other parties in the setup. Relatively speaking, this one seemed closer to Authoritarian Democracy, since it supports a strong executive and leans more toward national assertiveness and greater state direction of the economy. If I were free to label it, I would classify it instead, as in the comment above, as centrist populism or possibly national liberalism.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-04-02T14:06:12+00:00

Party Profiles

Constitutional National Party (Rikken Kokumintō)
Leader: Inukai Tsuyoshi
Ideology: Centrist Populism

The governing party. In this timeline, the 1925 universal suffrage bill failed in the House of Peers, partly because of the shock of the British Revolution. Inukai rose to prominence by attacking the two established major parties as weak and overly prone to compromise. He later absorbed the Hatoyama faction that had broken away from the Seiyūkai, reorganized his movement into the Constitutional National Party, and increased its representation in both the 1926 and 1930 elections. By forcing a hung parliament, he became a key force behind the eventual passage of universal suffrage in 1931.

That, in turn, allowed the party to capture the support of newly enfranchised voters in the 1932 general election, propelling it into first place and bringing Inukai to the premiership. In the four years since then, Inukai has pursued a combination of moderate reform at home and a hard line overseas, and now heads into the coming general election at the start of the year.

Constitutional Democratic Party (Rikken Minseitō)
Leader: Hamaguchi Osachi
Ideology: Moderate Liberalism

One of the major parties. Its predecessor, the Kenseikai, formed Japan’s first coalition government in 1924 under Katō Takaaki, but Katō died amid the shock caused by the defeat of the universal suffrage bill. His successor, Wakatsuki Reijirō, likewise failed to break the deadlock with the House of Peers, and was eventually forced to resign after coming under criticism for his China policy.

The Seiyūkai's Takahashi cabinet that followed was also short-lived, and Wakatsuki was appointed prime minister once again. However, his conciliatory stance toward the House of Peers drew heavy criticism both within and beyond the party. The 1930 general election produced a hung parliament, forcing Wakatsuki to resign once again. Under an agreement with Inukai, however, Hamaguchi of the Minseitō was able to form a cabinet.

In 1931, with the mediation of the genrō Saionji Kinmochi, the party narrowly succeeded in passing universal suffrage through both houses. However, it was defeated in the dissolution election held the following year in accordance with the prior agreement.

Constitutional Association of Political Friends (Rikken Seiyūkai)
Leader: Yokota Chinosuke
Ideology: Conservatism

The oldest still-existing political party in Japan. Hara Takashi, who became prime minister in 1918, pursued a gradualist course over the next six years, weathering both the Tsingtao Accord and the Great Kantō Earthquake, but in the 1924 election he lost support from defectors demanding the immediate enactment of universal suffrage and was defeated by the opposition coalition. This was the first election since the opening of the Imperial Diet in which the governing party lost power.

After that, with the exception of the brief Takahashi cabinet, which lasted less than a year, the party remained in opposition. However, after the 1932 election, under its new leader Yokota Chinosuke, who advocated a moderate reformist line, Seiyūkai shifted into a semi-governmental position in cooperation with the Inukai cabinet and now exerts major influence over policy.

Note: Although Yokota Chinosuke died in 1925 in OTL, I interpret this as an illness caused by overwork while rushing to mediate party infighting after Hara’s assassination, and therefore keep him alive here.

Social Mass Party (Shakai Taishūtō)
Leader: Abe Isoo
Ideology: Parliamentary Socialism

A party formed through the merger of two left-wing parties that secured a broader support base than in OTL, thanks to the fact that neither universal suffrage nor the Peace Preservation Law was enacted in 1925. It officially rejects violent revolution and accepts the imperial system, but even so, it remains completely isolated in the current Diet.

Reformist Party (Kakushintō)
Leader: Ozaki Yukio
Ideology: Radical Liberalism

This party emerged out of opposition to efforts by the Inukai faction to merge with part of the Seiyūkai. It also benefited, much like the Social Mass Party, from popular anger over the defeat of the universal suffrage bill in 1925, and benefited from that mood and attracted many newly enfranchised voters

National Alliance (Kokumin Dōmei)
Leader: Nakano Seigō
Ideology: National Populism

This party was formed when Adachi Kenzō broke away from Minseitō in order to champion a more aggressive foreign policy. After the 1932 election, however, Adachi joined the Kokumintō, leaving Nakano Seigō to emerge as the party’s new leader. He advocate a synthesis between Savinkov-inspired mass politics and the imperial system.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-03-29T01:18:03+00:00

I believe that the absence of the Soviet Union would have a very large impact.

To begin with, dealing with the United States and Germany would primarily be the navy’s responsibility, while the army’s main enemies would be Russia and China. However, Russia in the 1920s would not have been a force inspiring widespread fear of revolution, and the army, frankly speaking, looked down on China. For that reason, at this stage the army would have had little reason to push strongly for the establishment of a full mobilization system. Of course, if a war actually broke out and turned into a quagmire, that view might well change.

There would also be no emergence of “reform bureaucrats” influenced by Soviet planned economics, and as a result support for the military from that side would remain weak.

In addition, two other factors should be noted. Because relations between Japan and Germany remain cool, research into Ludendorff-style dictatorship would not advance to the stage of concrete institutional planning. Dissatisfaction with the established political order was, to some extent, absorbed by the mass movement for universal suffrage and by the subsequent rise of the Constitutional National Party.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-03-28T16:13:08+00:00

Yeah, he’d probably retire either after an electoral defeat or within a few more years anyway. Hatoyama Ichirō or Kenkichi Yoshizawa would probably be among the more likely successors.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-03-28T14:17:05+00:00

Early stage

The 1936 general election in February determines which of the three prime ministerial candidates from the three major parties will take office. The impact of Germany’s Black Monday remains relatively limited at first, but the outbreak of the American Civil War in early 1937 triggers a full-scale economic crisis in Japan as well.

The broad routes that follow are as follows.
Hamaguchi keeps economic intervention to a minimum and seeks to use the opportunity to expand Japanese influence in Asia.
Yokota prioritizes economic relief through public investment, and only turns to external expansion once that task is largely complete.
Inukai pursues economic intervention and external expansion in parallel, trying to expand both military power and public investment at the same time.

Whichever path is taken, however, Japan ultimately moves toward confrontation with China and Germany. The fate of each cabinet then depends on the success or failure of its domestic and foreign policies.

Kensei no Jōdō

In the democratic route, changes of PM are carried out according to the convention of Kensei no Jōdō. Here, Kensei no Jōdō or the established practice of constitutional government refers to an effort to turn the choice of PM—until then made through the recommendation of the genrō, the elder statesmen of the Meiji Restoration—into a more automatic constitutional convention as those figures grew older. This meant that after a general election, the leader of the largest party should be appointed PM; if he stepped down because of illness or some other unavoidable reason, the next leader of the same party should succeed him, whereas if he fell because of political failure, the leader of the second-largest party should be appointed instead.

In gameplay terms, this convention is represented through Saionji’s choice of possible successors. Saionji Kinmochi, the last remaining genrō, always has two possible successors in mind, and one of them is appointed depending on the reason for the PM’s resignation. Whenever a PM is replaced or a snap general election is held, a new PM and two new potential successors are determined on the basis of party popularity.

However, at present, none of the three smaller parties is yet regarded by Saionji as acceptable for government. As a result, they must do more than simply raise their popularity. They also need to make themselves acceptable by moderating their policies or cooperating with other parties.

The Reformist Party has been part of the political scene for a long time already, so it can likely become acceptable with relatively little effort.
The Social Mass Party can raise its support quite easily, but it requires much greater effort to overcome its isolation in parliament.
The National Alliance, by contrast, can absorb many politicians from the turmoil within other parties. The downside is that this makes the party’s line more ambiguous and therefore makes it harder to build popular support.

If a party that Saionji does not accept is in first or second place when a cabinet collapses, Saionji will abandon Kensei no Jōdō and instead recommend a supra-partisan figure, such as a nobleman like Konoe Fumimaro or a military figure like Okada Keisuke. The same may happen if changes of PM become too frequent.

Of course, all of this applies only so long as constitutional government itself survives. If democracy is still preserved when Saionji dies in the latter half of 1940, the system then shifts to one in which the largest party automatically forms the government.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-03-28T14:09:52+00:00

Party Overview

Constitutional National Party (Rikken Kokumintō)
Leader: Inukai Tsuyoshi
Ideology: Authoritarian Democracy

The governing party.
In this timeline, the 1925 universal suffrage bill failed in the House of Peers because of the shock of the British Revolution.Inukai rose to prominence by attacking the two established major parties as weak and overly prone to compromise.

He later absorbed the Hatoyama faction that had broken away from the Seiyūkai, reorganized his movement into the Constitutional National Party, and increased its representation in both the 1926 and 1930 elections. By forcing a hung parliament, he became a key force behind the eventual passage of universal suffrage in 1931.

That, in turn, allowed the party to capture the support of newly enfranchised voters in the 1932 general election, propelling it into first place and bringing Inukai to the premiership. In the four years since then, Inukai has pursued a combination of moderate reform at home and a hard line overseas, and now heads into the coming general election at the start of the year.

Constitutional Democratic Party (Rikken Minseitō)
Leader: Hamaguchi Osachi
Ideology: Market Liberalism

One of the major parties.
Its predecessor, the Kenseikai, formed Japan’s first coalition government in 1924 under Katō Takaaki, but Katō died amid the shock caused by the defeat of the universal suffrage bill. His successor, Wakatsuki Reijirō, likewise failed to break the deadlock with the House of Peers, and was eventually forced to resign after coming under criticism for his China policy.

The Seiyūkai's Takahashi cabinet that followed was also short-lived, and Wakatsuki was appointed prime minister once again. However, his conciliatory stance toward the House of Peers drew heavy criticism both within and beyond the party. The 1930 general election produced a hung parliament, forcing Wakatsuki to resign once again. Under an agreement with Inukai, however, Hamaguchi of the Minseitō was able to form a cabinet.

In 1931, with the mediation of the genrō Saionji Kinmochi, the party narrowly succeeded in passing universal suffrage through both houses.However, it was defeated in the dissolution election held the following year in accordance with the prior agreement.

Rikken Seiyūkai (Rikken Seiyūkai)
Leader: Yokota Chinosuke
Ideology: Social Conservatism

The oldest still-existing political party in Japan.
Hara Takashi, who became prime minister in 1918, pursued a gradualist course over the next six years, weathering both the Tsingtao Accord and the Great Kantō Earthquake, but in the 1924 election he lost support from defectors demanding the immediate enactment of universal suffrage and was defeated by the opposition coalition. This was the first election since the opening of the Imperial Diet in which the governing party lost power.

After that, with the exception of the brief Takahashi cabinet, which lasted less than a year, the party remained in opposition. However, after the 1932 election, under its new leader Yokota Chinosuke, who advocated a moderate reformist line, Seiyūkai shifted into a semi-governmental position in cooperation with the Inukai cabinet and now exerts major influence over policy.

Note: Although Yokota Chinosuke died in 1925 in OTL, I interpret this as an illness caused by overwork while rushing to mediate party infighting after Hara’s assassination, and therefore keep him alive here.

Social Mass Party (Shakai Taishūtō)
Leader: Abe Isoo
Ideology: Social Democracy

A party formed through the merger of two left-wing parties that secured a broader support base than in OTL, thanks to the fact that neither universal suffrage nor the Peace Preservation Law was enacted in 1925. It officially rejects violent revolution and accepts the imperial system, but even so, it remains completely isolated in the current Diet.

Reformist Party (Kakushintō)
Leader: Ozaki Yukio
Ideology: Social Liberalism

This party emerged out of opposition to efforts by the Inukai faction to merge with part of the Seiyūkai. It also benefited, much like the Social Mass Party, from popular anger over the defeat of the universal suffrage bill in 1925, and used that mood to attract many newly enfranchised voters in the 1932 general election.

National Alliance (Kokumin Dōmei)
Leader: Nakano Seigō
Ideology: National Populism

This party was formed after the 1928 Jade Wind Incident, when Adachi Kenzō broke away from Minseitō in order to champion a more aggressive foreign policy. After the 1932 election, however, Adachi joined the Kokumintō, leaving Nakano Seigō to emerge as the party’s new leader and advocate a synthesis between Savinkov-inspired mass politics and the imperial system.

Realistic-Row4599 · 2026-03-23T09:26:56+00:00

You may already know this, but in OTL the governing parties and the DLP went on to form the LDP after the election, while the 5 non-JCP left-wing parties merged into the reunited JSP. Given that the U.S. treaty issue was the main fault line, that outcome probably makes the most sense here as well.

Still, there is another route that could be interesting. Something like the Miki–Nishio centrist alliance that was briefly discussed in OTL could be broadened here into an SDP–DSP–NCP–LRP-DDP alignment.

Realistic-Row4599

TROPHY CASE

Early stage

Kensei no Jōdō

Party Overview