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Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan

 

 
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Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
 
 
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The was an administrative post not of cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in World War II in 1945....
. The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was responsible for keeping the Privy Seal of Japan
Privy Seal of Japan

The Privy Seal of Japan is the Emperor of Japan's official seal. It is square and its inscription "????" is written in the seal script . It has two lines of vertical writing....
 and State Seal of Japan
State Seal of Japan

The Country Seal of Japan is the Japanese official seal of state. It is cubic. The characters ????? are carved in it in the Archaic script ....
.

The office of Naidaijin (literally "Inner Minister") was an ancient title predating the Taiho Code
Taiho Code

The was an administrative reorganization enacted in 701 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the . It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito at the request of Emperor Mommu and, like many other developments in the country at the time, it was largely an adaptation of...
 of 701. Fujiwara no Kamatari
Fujiwara no Kamatari

Fujiwara no Kamatari was the founder of the Fujiwara clan in Japan. His birth clan was the Nakatomi. He was the son of Nakatomi no Mikeko, and his birth name was Nakatomi no Kamatari ....
 was the first person appointed to the post in 669. After the appointment of Fujiwara no Michitaka
Fujiwara no Michitaka

, the first son of Fujiwara no Kaneie, was a kugyo of the Heian period. He served as regent for the Emperor Ichijo, and later as Kampaku. Ichijo married Michitaka's daughter Teishi , thus continuing the close ties between the Imperial family and the Fujiwara....
 in 989, the office became permanently established, ranking just below that of Udaijin
Udaijin

Udaijin , most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara period and Heian periods....
 (Minister of the Right) and Sadaijin
Sadaijin

Sadaijin , most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara period and Heian periods....
 (Minister of the Left).

The modern office was established in 1885, after the Meiji government
Government of Meiji Japan

The Government of Meiji period Japan from 1868-1911 was an evolution of institutions and structures from the feudal order of the Tokugawa bakufu towards a constitutional monarchy encompassing pro-forma representative democracy....
 established the cabinet; however, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Privy Seal

Privy Seal of EnglandThe Privy council Seal of England can be traced back to the reign of John of England. It has been suggested that it was originally the seal that accompanied the person of the Sovereign, while the Great Seal of the Realm was required to remain in the Lord Chancellor....
 was separate from the cabinet, and acted as a direct advisor to the Emperor
Emperor of Japan

The of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Imperial House of Japan. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy ....
.






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The was an administrative post not of cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in World War II in 1945....
. The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was responsible for keeping the Privy Seal of Japan
Privy Seal of Japan

The Privy Seal of Japan is the Emperor of Japan's official seal. It is square and its inscription "????" is written in the seal script . It has two lines of vertical writing....
 and State Seal of Japan
State Seal of Japan

The Country Seal of Japan is the Japanese official seal of state. It is cubic. The characters ????? are carved in it in the Archaic script ....
.

The office of Naidaijin (literally "Inner Minister") was an ancient title predating the Taiho Code
Taiho Code

The was an administrative reorganization enacted in 701 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the . It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito at the request of Emperor Mommu and, like many other developments in the country at the time, it was largely an adaptation of...
 of 701. Fujiwara no Kamatari
Fujiwara no Kamatari

Fujiwara no Kamatari was the founder of the Fujiwara clan in Japan. His birth clan was the Nakatomi. He was the son of Nakatomi no Mikeko, and his birth name was Nakatomi no Kamatari ....
 was the first person appointed to the post in 669. After the appointment of Fujiwara no Michitaka
Fujiwara no Michitaka

, the first son of Fujiwara no Kaneie, was a kugyo of the Heian period. He served as regent for the Emperor Ichijo, and later as Kampaku. Ichijo married Michitaka's daughter Teishi , thus continuing the close ties between the Imperial family and the Fujiwara....
 in 989, the office became permanently established, ranking just below that of Udaijin
Udaijin

Udaijin , most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara period and Heian periods....
 (Minister of the Right) and Sadaijin
Sadaijin

Sadaijin , most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara period and Heian periods....
 (Minister of the Left).

The modern office was established in 1885, after the Meiji government
Government of Meiji Japan

The Government of Meiji period Japan from 1868-1911 was an evolution of institutions and structures from the feudal order of the Tokugawa bakufu towards a constitutional monarchy encompassing pro-forma representative democracy....
 established the cabinet; however, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Privy Seal

Privy Seal of EnglandThe Privy council Seal of England can be traced back to the reign of John of England. It has been suggested that it was originally the seal that accompanied the person of the Sovereign, while the Great Seal of the Realm was required to remain in the Lord Chancellor....
 was separate from the cabinet, and acted as a direct advisor to the Emperor
Emperor of Japan

The of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Imperial House of Japan. Under Japan's present constitution, the Emperor is the "symbol of the state and the unity of the people," and is a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy ....
. He was also responsible for the administration of imperial documents such as rescript
Rescript

A rescript is a document that is issued not on the initiative of the author, but in response to a specific demand made by its addressee. It does not apply to more general legislation etcetera....
s and edict
Edict

An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchy. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts....
s. Petitions to the emperor and the court were also handled by the Lord Keeper's office, as well as the responses.

The office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was identical with the old Naidaijin only in name.

In 1907, the post was expanded to become the Naidaijin-fu (Office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) with a chief secretary, three secretaries and six assistants in order to handle the increased workload with the passing of the genro
Genro

was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan, who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji period and Taisho period periods in History of Japan....
.

After the start of Emperor Showa's reign in 1925, the office and position of the Lord Privy Seal became increasingly important, at the expense of the office of the prime minister
Prime Minister of Japan

The is the usual English-language term used for the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime Minister of the Cabinet....
. Political infighting within the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan

The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives of Japan, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors....
 further boosted the power of the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord Privy Seal was able to strictly control who was allowed to have an audience with the emperor, as well as the flow of information. This made the final Lord Privy Seal Marquis Kido Koichi
Koichi Kido

Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Hirohito throughout World War II....
 in effect even more powerful than the prime minister.

After World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the Office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was officially abolished on 24 November 1945.. However, the function itself was abolished with the promulgation of the new constitution in November 1946. Thus, former Grand Chamberlain Hisanori Fujita was the last Lord Keeper.

List of Lord Keepers Privy Seal

Name Dates as Lord Keeper
Sanjo Sanetomi
Sanjo Sanetomi

Prince was an kuge and statesman at the time of the Meiji Restoration. He held many high-ranking offices in the Meiji government....
 		 22 December 1885 – 18 February 1891
Tokudaiji Sanetsune 21 February 1891 – 12 August 1912
Katsura Taro
Katsura Taro

Prince , was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician and three-time Prime Minister of Japan....
 		 21 August 1912 – 21 December 1912
HIH Prince Fushimi Sadanaru
Prince Fushimi Sadanaru

was the 22nd head of the Fushimi-no-miya shinnoke , and a Field Marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army....
 		21 December 1912 – 13 January 1915
Oyama Iwao
Oyama Iwao

was a Japanese Field Marshal , and one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Army....
 		 23 April 1915 – 10 December 1916
Matsukata Masayoshi
Matsukata Masayoshi

Prince , GCMG was a Japanese politician and the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Japan....
 		 2 May 1917 – 18 September 1922
Hirata Tosuke
Hirata Tosuke

Count was a statesman and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan, active in the Meiji period and Taisho period period Japan.Hirata was born in the Yonezawa Domain, Dewa Province as the son of a local samurai....
 		 19 September 1922 – 30 May 1925
Hamao Arata
Hamao Arata

Viscount was a Japanese politician and educator of the Meiji era, originally hailing from Toyooka, Hyogo. He was active in the Monbusho and as the president of institutions such as Tokyo University....
 		 30 March 1925 – 30 March 1925
Makino Nobuaki
Makino Nobuaki

Count was a Japanese statesman, active from the Meiji period through the Pacific War....
 		 30 March 1925 – 26 February 1935
Saito Makoto
Saito Makoto

Viscount was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, two-time Governor-General of Korea from 1919 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1931, and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 26 May 1932 to 8 July 1934....
 		26 February 1935 – 26 February 1936
Ichiki Kitokuro 6 March 1936-6 March 1936
Yuasa Kurahei 6 March 1936 – 1 June 1940
Koichi Kido
Koichi Kido

Marquis served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan from 1940 to 1945, and was the closest advisor to Hirohito throughout World War II....
 		1 June 1940 – 24 November 1945
Hisanori Fujita 25 November 1945 - 2 November 1946


See also

  • Lord Privy Seal
    Lord Privy Seal

    The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain....
  • Keeper of the seals
    Keeper of the seals

    The title Keeper of the Seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the Great Seal of a given country....


External links

  • National Archives of Japan