Liberal Party (Japan)

Liberal Party (自由党 Jiyuto) is the name of five different political parties in different time periods in Japan.

They are:

• Liberal Party, founded by Itagaki Taisuke in October 1881. The party stood for popular rights and espoused the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The main objective of the party in the beginning was the establishment of a constitution. The party was an offspring of the aikokusha.
• Liberal Party, founded in 1890, which became the Liberal Constitution Party later that year
• Liberal Party, formed from the LCP in 1891, merged with the Shinpoto into the Kenseito in 1898
• Liberal Party, founded by Kameyama Ichiro in 1945. In 1946, Yoshida Shigeru formed the first Liberal cabinet. From 1948 to 1950, the Liberal Party merged with the Democratic Party to form the Democratic Liberal Party. Then, in 1955, it merged with the Democratic Party again to form the Liberal Democratic Party.
• Liberal Party, founded in 1998 from the remnants of the Shinshinto. It merged with the Democratic Party of Japan in 2003.