After the 1890 general elections for the lower house of the Diet of Japan, the elected members proved much less amenable to government persuasion than had been anticipated by Itō Hirobumi and other members of the Meiji oligarchy. Rather than docilely rubber stamp legislation issued from the House of Peers and the genrō, the leaders of the lower house used the only leverage granted to them under the Meiji Constitution, withholding budgetary approval, to show resistance.
After the 1890 general elections for the lower house of the Diet of Japan, the elected members proved much less compliant to government persuasion than had been expected by Itō Hirobumi and other members of the Meiji oligarchy. Rather than obediently approving legislation issued from the House of Peers and the genrō, the leaders of the lower house used the only leverage granted to them under the Meiji Constitution, withholding budgetary approval, to demonstrate resistance.