Since the Meiji era, Japan has experienced many external wars. If you look into the history of modern times, you will find that the military and military personnel are on the front stage many times.
As the number of modern articles increases, it is easier to understand war-related events if you write about the relationship between the military and politics, so I will leave it.
Emperor's authority under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan
The government had a Daijo-kan system since the beginning of the Meiji era, but after a movement advocating the establishment of free civil rights and parliament in various places, 1885 (Meiji 18) Finally, the cabinet system was established.
Following such a cabinet system, the bureaucracy and local systems were established. And the Constitution of Japan. One of its characteristics is that it was given "strong authority over the emperor." It was a very big authority that Congress could not be involved in.
- Sacred Inviolability
- Take control of all sovereignty
- Appointment and dismissal of civilian officers
- Army and Navy Commander
- Front, harmony, conclusion of treaties, etc.
Of these, I would like to pay attention to "The Commander of the Army and Navy." In other words, the top Japanese army of this theme is the emperor. The Cabinet was not supposed to be involved in the military either.
Political Organization under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan
It's a little hard to see, but when you build a cabinet, you have to have a minister to follow the bureaucracy.
This includes "Ministry of the Army" and "Ministry of the Navy". "Ministry of the Army" and "Ministry of the Navy" are ministries related to clerical work in the military (=military administration, military composition, salary, and other military maintenance).
When deciding on other ministers, the Prime Minister has the right to recommend to the Emperor, but there was a troublesome system in which the ministerial qualifications of the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy were limited to "active military officers". As you can imagine, the Cabinet cannot ignore the intentions of the military.
On the other hand, after the start of the war, the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy seemed to be in a situation where they could not speak out to the department that manages the operation of the army (=military order) due to the involvement of the commandership.
In addition, since the Emperor was supposed to appoint and dismiss other Ministers of State, if the opinions of the Prime Minister and the Minister of State cannot be dismissed due to parallel lines, "Cabinet Resignations" I had no choice but to take the means of "resigning". It can be said that the power of the Cabinet was weaker than I had imagined.
Relationship between the military and the government
In case the figure is crushed and difficult to see, I will leave a commentary just in case.
Marshal ... the highest military advisory group of the emperor. The meritorious person of the Army and Admiral receives the title of Marshal. No retirement age.
Supreme War Council ... Installed for the purpose of adjusting the interests of the Army and Navy. After waiting for the emperor's advice, he opened the parliament and gave his opinion. It consists of a chairman, a military counselor, a secretary-general, and a secretary.
- Chair:High-class and veteran military counselors
- Military Counselor:Marshal, Minister of the Army, Navy Minister, Chief of Staff, General Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, and Military Counselor From>) Army and Navy General.
- Secretary-general:Organize the general affairs of the military council. Become a samurai warrior chief or another general
- Secretary:The role of assisting the duties of the secretary-general. One of the samurai officers and one of the army and navy officers
Samurai Warrior Office ... A special agency in which a samurai warrior works. A samurai servant is a samurai who is always a samurai to the emperor, and is responsible for playing and answering military matters. An army and navy soldier who served an audience (=serving the side of a nobleman).
General Staff ... An organization that reports to the Emperor and controls the military order of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Military Command ... also reports directly to the emperor. The agency that governs the military order of the entire Navy.
Imperial Headquarters ... An organization that plans and guides military operations that was set up only during wartime and incidents. It is divided into the Navy Department and the Army Department, but the reality is mostly the General Staff Headquarters and the Navy General Staff.
Large Headquarters Government Liaison Conference / Large Headquarters Government Liaison Council / Supreme War Guidance Conference ・ ・ ・ Established as a place for unification and communication between the Imperial Headquarters and the government. The name varies depending on the time of year. The prime minister and foreign ministers are participating from the government, and the minister of the Ministry of the Army and Navy, the chief of staff, and the chief of the military order (general) are participating from the military.
By the way, the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy are one ministry of the Cabinet, and at the same time they belong to the military and are in charge of military administration, so it can be said that the government or the military participates.
The above is the relationship between the emperor, politics, and the military.
Besides, if you know the rank of soldiers (you can not be a great man unless you have a certain rank such as general or lieutenant general) and the formation of the army, it will be easier to understand later, but it will be longer, so it is different. I will write it on this occasion.