The Freedom and People's Rights Movement (Japanese: 自由民権運動, romanized: Jiyū Minken Undō) was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy during the Meiji period. It pursued the formation of an elected legislature, revision of the unequal treaties with the United States and European countries, the institution of civil rights, and the reduction of centralized taxation. The movement prompted the Meiji government to establish a constitution in 1889 and a diet in 1890; on the other hand, it failed to bring the government under parliamentary control, and its authority was ultimately repressed by the Meiji oligarchy.
The movement began with the 1874 submission of the Tosa Memorial, a petition calling for a representative assembly, by a group of former government councillors including Itagaki Taisuke, Gotō Shōjirō, and Etō Shimpei. It quickly gained momentum, evolving from local political societies of disaffected samurai into a nationwide movement that drew support from rural landlords, wealthy peasants, and liberal intellectuals. The government responded with a mix of concessions, such as the Osaka Conference of 1875 and the establishment of prefectural assemblies, and repression, including the passage of restrictive laws on the press and public assembly.
