It was used mainly between the establishment of the Imperial Diet and the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, but was used to the Taisho period with the meaning of "the Parties of the People's Representatives" afterwards.
主に帝国議会開設から日清戦争にかけて使われてきたが、その後も「民衆代表政党」の意味を込めて大正期まで使われてきた。