Before the establishment of the Fuken-kai rules, though there were examples in which some prefectural governors callied for advisory meetings (local assemblies), the local assembly did not exist as a legal system.
府県会規則の制定以前には、一部の府知事、県令が顧問的な会議（地方民会）を招集した例はあっても、法制度上の地方議会は存在しなかった。