Unscheduled Diet dissolution being announced by Chief Cabinet Secretary HORI Shigeru. From "Mainichi Gurafu no.132"

HATOYAMA Ichiro and many other influential political figures who had been purged from public office after being named undesirables returned to politics. These politicians intensified their efforts to oust Prime Minister YOSHIDA Shigeru from power. Prime Minister YOSHIDA countered the move by dissolving parliament without any previous announcement on 28 August 1952 (Showa 27), catching anti-YOSHIDA forces off guard. The Liberal Party was sharply divided toward a general election following the dissolution. Liberal Party President and Prime Minister YOSHIDA instructed the party's leadership to take tough measures against ISHIBASHI Tanzan and KONO Ichiro for making critical comments on YOSHIDA in their election campaign, if they continued to hinder his efforts to promote party unity toward the election. On 29 September, ISHIBASHI and KONO were expelled from the Liberal Party (Letter from YOSHIDA Shigeru to HAYASHI Joji and MASUTANI Shuji).

Following the general election, the fourth administration of Prime Minister YOSHIDA was launched on 30 October. But intra-party confrontation continued to intensify as a motion of no-confidence against IKEDA Hayato, Minister of International Trade and Industry, passed the Diet. HATOYAMA sent a letter to YOSHIDA asking for mutual "perseverance" and an immediate nullification of the party's earlier decision to oust ISHIBASHI and KONO from the party. On 16 December, the two were allowed to rejoin the Liberal Party (Letter from HATOYAMA Ichiro to YOSHIDA Shigeru).

Meeting at residence of HATOYAMA among those seeking separation. From "Gurafikku Kara Showashi vol.11"

Diet dissolution after passage of No-Confidence Motion against Cabinet (Dissolution sparked by Prime Minister's word "Stupid"). From "Gurafikku Kara Showashi vol.11"

On 28 February, Prime Minister YOSHIDA uttered the word "stupid" in a question-and-answer session at the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives. The remark prompted a motion of no-confidence against the Cabinet of Prime Minister YOSHIDA.

The motion passed the Diet on 14 March due to support from 22 anti-YOSHIDA forces including MIKI Bukichi and ISHIBASHI Tanzan, who had earlier formed a breakaway faction of the Liberal Party. YOSHIDA dissolved parliament following the passage of the motion (Statement declaring separation from the Liberal Party).

Later, 15 lawmakers belonging to the faction led by HIROKAWA Kozen joined the breakaway faction of the Liberal Party. On 18 March, HATOYAMA Ichiro headed them. The breakaway faction of the Liberal Party was nicknamed the "HATOYAMA Liberal Party."

In the general election held following the dissolution of the Diet, conservative parties suffered a setback. The Liberal Party failed to secure a majority. The "HATOYAMA Liberal Party" and the Japan Reform Party also performed poorly. A runoff was held between YOSHIDA and SHIGEMITSU, President of the Japan Reform Party, at the special Diet session held after the genreal election. The Japan Socialist Party's two factions -- the Right faction and the Left faction -- did not support SHIGEMITSU in the runoff, leading to the election of YOSHIDA and the inauguration of the fifth YOSHIDA administration. Document (Japanese text only) was preserved by ANZAI Shosuke, YOSHIDA's private secretary who accompanied YOSHIDA everywhere he went. ANZAI took notes during YOSHIDA's stumping tour for the general election (Itinerary of election campaign for April 1953 general election).