The was an advisory council to the Emperor of Japan that operated from 1888 to 1947. It was largely used to limit the power of the Imperial Diet.
Functions Modeled in part upon the British Privy Council, this body advised the Japanese Empire on matters including, but not limited to: Proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Empire of Japan Proposed amendments to the 1889 Imperial Household Law Matters of constitutional interpretation, proposed laws, and ordinances Proclamations of martial law or declaration of war 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 directly
The Privy Council had both judicial functions and certain executive functions. However, the council had no power to initiate legislation.
Establishment To oversee new governmental developments, in 1871, three councils were created - the Council of the Left, Centre, and Right, who would be collectively known as the Council of the Elders (genrō in). The Elders oversaw the writing of the Meiji Constitution, and would become councilors in the Privy Council.
The Privy Council of Japan was established by an imperial ordinance of Emperor Meiji dated 28 April 1888, under the presidency of Itō Hirobumi, to deliberate on the draft constitution.Beasley, The Rise of Modern Japan. pp. 68 The new constitution, which the emperor promulgated on 11 February 1889, briefly mentioned the Privy Council in Chapter 4, Article 56: "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 and the cabinet. 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 and the ōke ) over the age of majority were permitted to attend meetings of the Privy Council and could participate in its proceedings. The president was the authority as he called and controlled meetings inside of the council. The Council met in secret at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, 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 Theoretically, the Privy Council's legal power was extensive, but, like many other aspects of Meiji-era politics, the effective power of the Privy Council was largely based upon the genrō and other oligarchs. Masao Maruyama described the Council as an "irrational arrangement prevailed in which decisions depended on fortuitous human relations, psychological coercion by the Elder Statesmen [genro] and other ‘officials close to the Throne,’ shifts in the relative strength of cliques, deals among wire-pullers and bosses, assignation-house politics, and so forth."
During its early years, many members of the Privy Council were simultaneously members of the elected government; however in its later years, the Privy Council essentially replaced the genrō and the Genrōin as a very conservative “old boys” club, often at odds with the party-dominated elected government.Gordon, A History of Modern Japan, pp.92 After the Privy Council unsuccessfully challenged the government by attempting to reject several government decisions, and by attempting to assert itself on certain foreign policy issues, it was demonstrated that in actuality the balance of power was with the elected government. The Privy Council was thenceforth largely ignored, and was not consulted on major policy matters, including the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Privy Council was abolished with the enforcement of the current postwar Constitution of Japan on 3 May 1947.
Leadership
Presidents
Fifteen people served as the President of the Privy Council of Japan. Portrait Name Term start Term endItō Hirobumi30 April 188830 October 1889Ōki Takatō24 December 18891 June 1891Itō Hirobumi1 June 18918 August 1892Ōki Takatō8 August 189211 March 1893Yamagata Aritomo11 March 189312 December 1893Kuroda Kiyotaka17 March 189425 August 1900Saionji Kinmochi27 August 190013 July 1903Itō Hirobumi13 July 190321 December 1905Yamagata Aritomo21 December 190514 June 1909Itō Hirobumi14 June 190926 October 1909Yamagata Aritomo26 October 19091 February 1922Kiyoura Keigo8 February 19227 January 1924Hamao Arata13 January 192425 September 1925Hozumi Nobushige1 October 19258 April 1926Kuratomi Yūzaburō12 April 19263 May 1934Ichiki Kitokurō3 May 193413 March 1936Kiichirō Hiranuma13 March 19365 January 1939Fumimaro Konoe5 January 193924 June 1940Hara Yoshimichi24 June 19407 August 1944Suzuki Kantarō7 August 19447 June 1945Kiichirō Hiranuma9 April 19453 December 1945Suzuki Kantarō3 December 194513 June 1946Shimizu Tōru13 June 194626 September 1946
Vice presidents Portrait Name Term start Term endTerashima Munenori10 May 188810 September 1891Soejima Taneomi10 September 189111 March 1892Higashikuze Michitomi17 March 18924 January 1912Yoshikawa Akimasa9 January 191220 March 1917Kiyoura Keigo20 March 19178 February 1922Hamao Arata15 February 192213 January 1924Ichiki Kitokurō14 January 192430 March 1925Hozumi Nobushige30 March 19251 October 1925Okano Keijirō1 October 192523 December 1925Kuratomi Yuzaburo28 December 192512 April 1926Kiichirō Hiranuma12 April 192613 March 1936Arai Kentarō13 March 193629 January 1938Hara Yoshimichi3 February 193824 June 1940Suzuki Kantarō24 June 194010 August 1944Shimizu Tōru10 August 194413 June 1946Shigenosuke Ushio13 June 19462 May 1947
See also Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
Notes
References
; OCLC 44090600 ; OCLC 145151778