1937 elections Japan; Wikimedia Commons
In the 1937 general elections, with 73% voter participation, the Constitutional Democratic Party Rikken Minseitō (RMK in the graph) won a slight majority of parliamentary seats over its major rival, the conservative Friends of Constitutional Government (Rikken Seiyūkai, RSK in the graph).
The Constitutional Democratic Party had traditionally promoted equitable distribution of wealth, protection of personal liberties and opposition to military colonialism in Asia. In the 1937 election, however, the party adopted a more pro-military position.