Tags: Political Party.
Shimpotō (Progressive Party) (進歩党 Shimpotō ) was a short-lived political party in Meiji period Japan.The Shimpotō was founded by Ōkuma Shigenobu in March 1896 as a merger of the Rikken Kaishintō and minor political parties to offset a temporary alliance between Ōkuma’s rival Itō Hirobumi and the Liberal Party of Japan (Jiyuto).In June 1898 the Shimpotō merged with the Jiyutō to form the Kenseitō.