1881 Apologize for opening the Diet issued by the government At the same time, preparation for constitutional law It took.
Political change in the 14th year of the Meiji era In 1882, the government sent Hirobumi Ito and others to Europe to investigate the constitution.
Hirobumi Ito He learns from Gneist the German constitution, which has a strong tyrannical character, and prepares to establish a constitution and open a parliament after returning to Japan.
Constitutional monarchy with reference to Germany
1884 Peerage Law Senate (House of Peers) I made the foundation of. Then, the following year, the Daijo-kan system was abolished and a cabinet system was established . Did. Cabinet belongs to the emperor , Composed of the Prime Minister and the Minister of State in charge of the administrative department it was done.
Hirobumi Ito Is the first Prime Minister As a result, the Minister of State was appointed mainly by people from the Sat-Chō clan. This cabinet system is Fuchu (government) Introspection from the Cabinet for the purpose of strengthening and improving efficiency The purpose was to separate the court from politics.
Also, Naidaijin , which does not belong to the Cabinet or the Imperial Household Ministry. Also set up, and the head is Naidaijin Was inaugurated and took on the task of assisting the emperor. Originally, it was set up as a position that is not directly involved in politics, but as an aide to the emperor, it will have a big political voice.
The Constitution of the Empire of Japan, which gave the Emperor great authority
Cabinet system Following bureaucracy and local system Hirobumi Ito Embarks on drafting the Constitution.
Takeshi Inoue, Miyoji Ito, Kentaro Kaneko German Roesler After being deliberated by the Privy Council, the draft constitution made with the advice of 1889 (Meiji 22) Constitution of the Empire of Japan Was promulgated as.
Roesler, a German legal scholar, was a government-owned foreigner who became a cabinet adviser after coming to Japan as an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hirobumi Ito involved in preparing for the establishment of the Constitution German-style constitutional advice with strong monarchy The we.
1887 Most of the draft of the Constitution of the Japanese Empire, which he proposed, was adopted and became the basis of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan. In addition to enacting the Constitution, he also contributed to the enactment of civil and commercial law, laying the foundation for Japan to start as a modern nation.
Emperor's authority
In this way, the first modern constitution in East Asia was established, and the emperor gave [ subjects . ] To [ given ] Principles of the Constitution * Was promulgated. One of the characteristics is that the emperor was given extremely strong authority. The emperor, who was regarded as [sacred and inviolable], had all the rights of sovereignty, and had great authority that the parliament could not be involved in, such as the appointment and dismissal of civilian officers, the commander of the army and navy, the declaration of war and harmony, and the conclusion of treaties.
* The Constitution is a constitution established by the monarch based on the sovereignty of the monarch. In Japan, it is the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, and in foreign countries, it is the Constitution of France established by Louis XVIII.
Of these, Army and Navy commandership Belonged to the emperor independently of the cabinet. In addition, the Cabinet condolences the emperor ( assistant / advice It was positioned as an institution to do so, and was solely responsible for the Emperor.
The emperor's command is Meiji Constitution One of the emperor's great powers and the highest command of the army and navy, the formation of the army and navy, the establishment of work rules, the decision of personnel and duties, the order of dispatch and conscription, the planning of military operations, etc. There are commands and orders.
Imperial Diet
Another feature of the Imperial Constitution is the parliamentary system . Was decided.
Imperial Diet Has equal authority House of Representatives and House of Lords It consisted of two houses.
1890 House of Representatives Election Law Based on 1st general election As a result, Constitutional Liberal Party and Constitutional Reform Party The opposition party, the People's Party, which opposes the politics of the former civil rights sect, won a big victory.
The opposition that opposes the government is [ People's Party ], And the political party that supports the government is called [ Party ], And the result of Japan's first general election is the opposition [ People's Party ] Made up the majority.
On the other hand, the government has already promulgated the Imperial Constitution, and Prime Minister Kuroda Kiyotaka " Government policy is in a certain direction and is not influenced by the existence of political parties [ Transcendentalism ] Was shown.
Government and House of Representatives Had repeated conflicts until the 6th parliament just before the Sino-Japanese War, but the Liberal Party, which was a civilian party, gradually approached the government and became a government-ruling party. In addition, the Kaishintō, which continued to attack the government, advocated aggression diplomacy, so when the Russo-Japanese War approaches, this will also become closer to the government.