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Privy Council (Japan)
Encyclopedia
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
that operated from 1888 to 1947.
Functions
Modeled in part upon the Privy Council of the United KingdomPrivy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, this body advised the throne on matters of grave importance including:
- proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Empire of Japan
- proposed amendments to the 1889 Imperial Household LawImperial Household Lawis a statute in Japanese law that governs the line of imperial succession, the membership of the imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household.-Passage of the Law:...
- matters of constitutional interpretation, proposed laws, and ordinances
- proclamations of martial lawMartial lawMartial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
or declaration of warDeclaration of warA declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies... - treaties and other international agreements
- matters concerning the succession to the throne
- declarations of a regency under the Imperial Household Law;
- matters submitted by the emperor. generally on the advice of the cabinet.
The Privy Council had both judicial functions and certain executive functions. However, the council had no power to initiate legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
.
Establishment
The Privy Council of Japan was established by an imperial ordinance of Emperor MeijiEmperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
dated 28 April 1888, under the presidency of Ito Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
, to deliberate on the draft constitution. The new constitution, which the emperor promulgated on 11 February 1889, briefly mentioned the Privy Council in Chapter 5, Article 46: "The Privy Councilors shall, in accordance with the provisions for the organization of the Privy Council, deliberate upon important matters of State when they have been consulted by the Emperor."
The Privy Council consisted of a chairman, a vice chairman (non-voting), twelve (later expanded to twenty-four) councilors, a chief secretary, and three additional secretaries. All privy councilors including the president and the vice president were appointed by the emperor for life, on the advice of the prime minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
and the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
. In addition to the twenty-four voting privy counselors, the prime minister and the other ministers of state were ex-officio members of the council. The princes of the imperial household (both the shinnōke
Shinnoke
was the collective name for the four cadet branches of the Imperial Household of Japan, which were until 1947 entitled to provide a successor to the Chrysanthemum throne if the main line failed to produce an heir...
and the ōke
Oke
The , were branches of the Japanese Imperial Family created from branches of the Fushimi-no-miya house. All but one of the ōke were formed by the descendants of Prince Fushimi Kuniye. The ōke were stripped of their membership in the Imperial Family by the American Occupation Authorities in...
) over the age of majority were permitted to attend meetings of the Privy Council and could participate in its proceedings. The president had extraordinary power, as it was he who called and controlled the meetings of the Council. The Council always met in secret at the Tokyo Imperial Palace
Kokyo
is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda area of Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains several buildings including the main palace , the emperor left Kyoto Imperial Palace for Tokyo...
, with the emperor in attendance on important occasions. The Council was empowered to deliberate on any matters upon which the emperor desired an opinion.
Assessment
Assessments on the importance of the Privy Council vary from claims that it was the single most powerful agency in the Meiji government (probably true legally and theoretically), to allegations that it was completely insignificant in terms of national politics (probably also true in terms of actual practice)..jpg)
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, Taishō and early Shōwa periods in Japanese history.The institution of genrō...
and the Genrōin
Genroin
' was a national assembly in early Meiji Japan, established after the Osaka Conference of 1875. It is also referred to as the Senate of Japan, Genrōin being the word used to describe the Roman Senate, and other western legislatures named after it....
as a very conservative “old boys” club, often at odds with the party-dominated elected government. After the Privy Council challenged the government by attempting to reject several government decisions, and by attempting to assert itself on certain foreign policy issues, it became clear that the balance of power was with the elected government. The Privy Council was thenceforth largely ignored, and it was not even consulted when Japan decided to declare war on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1941.
The Privy Council was abolished with the enforcement of the current postwar Constitution of Japan
Constitution of Japan
The is the fundamental law of Japan. It was enacted on 3 May, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan.-Outline:The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights...
on 3 May 1947.
Presidents of the Privy Council
| Name | Dates as Chairman | |
| 1 | Itō Hirobumi Ito Hirobumi Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire... |
30 April 1888 – 30 October 1889 |
| 2 | Oki Takato Oki Takato , was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period. He was Governor of Tokyo in 1868 and a member of the Privy Council in 1889.Ōki was born into a samurai family in Saga, in Hizen province . He studied at the domain school Kodokan, and promoted reform of the domain administration... |
24 December 1889 – 1 June 1891 |
| 3 | Itō Hirobumi Ito Hirobumi Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire... |
1 June 1891 – 8 August 1892 |
| 4 | Oki Takato Oki Takato , was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period. He was Governor of Tokyo in 1868 and a member of the Privy Council in 1889.Ōki was born into a samurai family in Saga, in Hizen province . He studied at the domain school Kodokan, and promoted reform of the domain administration... |
8 August 1892 – 11 March 1893 |
| 5 | Yamagata Aritomo Yamagata Aritomo Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese... |
11 March 1893 – 12 December 1893 |
| 6 | Kuroda Kiyotaka Kuroda Kiyotaka , also known as , was a Japanese politician of the Meiji era. He was the second Prime Minister of Japan from 30 April 1888 to 25 October 1889.-As a Satsuma samurai:... |
17 March 1894 – 25 August 1900 |
| 7 | Saionji Kinmochi Saionji Kinmochi Prince was a Japanese politician, statesman and twice Prime Minister of Japan. His title does not signify the son of an emperor, but the highest rank of Japanese hereditary nobility; he was elevated from marquis to prince in 1920... |
27 August 1900 – 13 July 1903 |
| 8 | Itō Hirobumi Ito Hirobumi Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire... |
13 July 1903 – 21 December 1905 |
| 9 | Yamagata Aritomo Yamagata Aritomo Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese... |
21 December 1905 – 14 June 1909 |
| 10 | Itō Hirobumi Ito Hirobumi Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire... |
14 June 1909 – 26 October 1909 |
| 11 | Yamagata Aritomo Yamagata Aritomo Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese... |
26 October 1909 – 1 February 1922 |
| 12 | Kiyoura Keigo Kiyoura Keigo was a Japanese politician. He was the 23rd Prime Minister of Japan from 7 January 1924 to 11 June 1924, during the period which historians have called the “Taisho Democracy”.- Early life :... |
8 February 1922 – 7 January 1924 |
| 13 | Hamao Arata Hamao Arata Viscount was a Japanese politician and educator of the Meiji period, originally hailing from Toyooka, Hyōgo. He was active in the Monkasho and as the president of institutions such as Tokyo Imperial University. Hamao was also, very briefly, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan.... |
13 January 1924 – 25 September 1925 |
| 14 | Hozumi Nobushige Hozumi Nobushige Baron was a Japanese statesman and legal expert in Meiji period.Hozumi was born in Uwajima Domain, Iyo Province as the second son to a family of kokugaku scholars. He graduated from the Kaisei Gakko, , and studied overseas from 1876-1881... |
1 October 1925 – 8 April 1926 |
| 15 | Kuratomi Yuzaburo | 12 April 1926 – 3 May 1934 |
| 16 | Ichiki Kitokuro | 3 May 1934 – 13 March 1936 |
| 17 | Hiranuma Kiichirō | 13 March 1936 – 5 January 1939 |
| 18 | Konoe Fumimaro | 5 January 1939 – 24 June 1940 |
| 19 | Hara Yoshimichi Yoshimichi Hara Yoshimichi Hara was a Japanese statesman and the president of the Japanese privy council during World War II, from June 1940 until his death. Hara was always reluctant to use military force. In particular, he protested against the outbreak of the Pacific war at Gozen Kaigi... |
24 June 1940 – 7 August 1944 |
| 20 | Suzuki Kantaro | 7 August 1944 – 7 June 1945 |
| 21 | Hiranuma Kiichiro | 9 April 1945 – 3 December 1945 |
| 22 | Suzuki Kantaro | 15 December 1945 – 13 June 1946 |
| 23 | Shimizu Tōru | 13 June 1946 – 26 September 1946 |