Liberal Party (Japan, 1890) saw the party reduced to 107 seats. In April 1896 it joined Itō Hirobumi's government and Liberal leader Itagaki Taisuke was appointed Minister of Home Affairs. After losing another two seats in the March 1898 elections, the party merged with Shimpotō in June 1898 to form the Kenseitō. Liberal Party (Japan, 1890) The Liberal Party (, "Jiyūtō") was a political party in Japan. The party was established in August 1890 by 130 members of the House of Representatives who had been elected in July, and was initially named the Constitutional Liberal Party (立憲自由党, "Rikken Jiyūtō"). It was a merger of
Social Democratic Party (Japan) Social Democratic Party (Japan) The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 "Shakai Minshu-tō", often abbreviated to 社民党 "Shamin-tō"), also known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan (日本社会党, abbreviated to SDPJ in English) and previously as the Japan Socialist Party (JSP), is a political party that at various times advocated the establishment of a socialist Japan, until 1996. Since its reformation and name change in 1996, it has defined itself as a social-democratic party. The party was reformed in January 1996 by the majority of legislators of the former Socialist Party of Japan, which was Japan's largest opposition party in the 1955