The political struggle reached its climax in the second decade after
the Restoration. In the press and on the public platform, the liberals
waged their campaign. In 1878 they succeeded in getting provincial
assemblies with limited powers, and in 1880 local (town, city and
village) assemblies. In 1881, riots followed the exposure of graft in
the central administration. To save their position, the conservatives
had the Emperor issue a declaration promising a National Assembly in
1890--nine years ahead.
But the political struggle did not abate. It now turned on what should
be the terms of the constitution which was to establish the elective
assembly. The conservatives meanwhile took strong measures against
the opposition. They strictly enforced laws curbing the press. They
suppressed Itagaki’s political party in 1884. In 1887 martial law was
proclaimed in Tokyo, and the opposition leaders were driven from the
capital. In this way the conservative bureaucrats got a free hand in
drafting the new constitution and putting it over.
Hirobumi Ito, its main architect, had gone abroad in 1882 to study
Western constitutional practices. He was greatly impressed by
Bismarck, and took the Prussian Constitution as his model. First,
certain preparatory changes were made. A nobility of five orders
was established in 1884, and a Cabinet in 1885. A civil service was
started, and in 1887 a Supreme War Council was set up to advise the
Emperor on military and naval affairs. In 1888 Ito became president
of the Privy Council, which was given authority to revise the draft
constitution he had prepared. Ito’s work of framing the document was
carried out “in absolute secrecy.” After it had been read in private
to a small group of officials, the Emperor promulgated the new
constitution on February 11, 1889. The first elections to the Imperial
Diet were held in 1890.