Imperial Household Agency
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates
Template:Infobox government agency Template:Politics of Japan
The Template:Nihongo (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD until the Second World War, it was known as the Template:Nihongo.
The Agency is unique among conventional government agencies and ministries in that it does not directly report to the Prime Minister at the cabinet level.Template:Clarify
Organization and functions
The Imperial Household Agency is headed by the Grand Steward, assisted by the Vice Grand Steward, appointed by the Cabinet.<ref name="kunaicho_organization">Imperial Household Agency: Organization</ref> Its main organizational positions are:
- the Grand Steward's Secretariat
- the Board of Chamberlains
- the Crown Prince's Household
- the Board of Ceremonies
- the Archives and Mausolea Department
- the Maintenance and Works Department
- the Kyoto Office<ref name="kunaicho_organization"/>
The current Grand Steward is Yasuhiko Nishimura.
The Agency's headquarters is located in the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The Agency's duties and responsibilities encompass the daily activities of the Imperial household, such as state visits, organised events, preservation of traditional culture and administrative functions, amongst other responsibilities. The Agency is responsible for the various Imperial residences located throughout Japan, and organises guided tours for visitors to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Katsura Detached Palace, and other residences and locations falling under its remit.
The Agency is responsible for the health, security and travel arrangements of the Imperial family, including maintaining the Imperial line. The Board of the Chamberlains, headed by the Grand Chamberlain, manages the daily life of the Emperor and the Empress, and is responsible for keeping the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. The Grand Master of the Crown Prince's Household helps manage the schedules, dining menus, and household maintenance of the Crown Prince and his family.<ref name="kunaicho_organization"/>
History
The Imperial Household Agency traces its origins back to institutions established by the Taihō Code (or more formally, Template:Nihongo) promulgated in 701–702 AD.<ref name="kunaicho_history">Template:Cite web 沿革 (Enkaku)Template:In lang</ref> The Template:Lang system established the namesake Template:Nihongo, a precursor to the present agency; the former code also gave rise to the Template:Nihongo, which has its legacy in the Template:Nihongo under the current agency, and the Template:Nihongo which oversaw the Template:Nihongo that would now correspond to the Agency's Template:Nihongo.<ref name="sansom">Template:Cite journal</ref> The basic structures remained in place until the Meiji Restoration (1868).<ref name="kunaicho_history"/>
Meiji period
The early Meiji government officially installed the Template:Nihongo on 15 August 1869.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Though the names are occasionally differentiated in English as the "Imperial Household Agency", versus the former, Meiji period "Ministry of the Imperial Household", both names are rendered with no differentiation in Japanese. However, there is a convoluted history of reorganization around how the government bodies that correspond to constituent subdivisions of the current Agency were formed or empowered during this period.
The Template:Nihongo and later the Template:Nihongo (1871–1872) were briefly established, having been placed in charge of, for example, the Template:Interlanguage link<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> under the Template:Nihongo, one of the tasks designated to the Agency today.
Meanwhile, the Meiji government created the Template:Nihongo in 1871, which was soon renamed Template:Nihongo in 1872. Also in 1872, the Ministry of Divinities was abolished, with the bulk of duties moved to the Template:Nihongo and the administration of formal ceremonial functions transferred to the aforementioned Board/Bureau of the Ceremonies.<ref>Template:Harvnb, "Within a year, the Department of Religion and Education (kyobu sho) superseded the Shinto Ministry."</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb, "The actual directive which abolished the Shinto Ministry on April 21, 1872, read in part as follows: 'Let the purely formal functions be transferred to the Board of Ceremonies, while the Department of Religion and Education take over the duties ...'"</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">Template:Harvnb keeps calling it "Board of Ceremonies" instead of "Bureau" even after the name change.</ref>
The Bureau of the Ceremonies was initially placed under the care of the Template:Nihongo, but was later transferred to the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in September 1877.<ref name=sonoda/> The Bureau underwent yet another name change to Template:Nihongo in October 1884.<ref name=sonoda>Template:Cite book</ref> Since then, the name has remained unchanged and is, today, headed by the Master of Ceremonies.
An Imperial Order in 1908 confirmed that the Imperial Household Minister, as the chief official was then called, held responsible for assisting the Emperor in all matters concerning the Imperial House.<ref name="kunaicho_history"/> The ministry also oversaw the official appointments of Imperial Household Artists and commissioned their work.
Imperial Household Office, 1947–1949
The Template:Nihongo, a downgraded version of the ministry, was created pursuant to Template:Nihongo Law No. 70 of 1947 during the American Occupation of Japan. Its number of staff was downscaled from 6,200 to less than 1,500, and the Office was placed under the Prime Minister of Japan.<ref name="kunaicho_history"/><ref>Template:Cite journal (Text of Imperial Household Act) Article 13 stipulates authority under premier.</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">In 1947, ahead of the new constitution the Imperial Household Act was promulgated, along with the Template:Interlanguage link (Law No. 4 of 1947) and the Imperial Household Office Law (Law. No. 70 of 1947) Template:Cite book Reprint 2002 Template:ISBN</ref>
Imperial Household Agency, 1949–present
In 1949, Imperial Household Office was renamed to the Imperial Household Agency, and placed under the fold of the newly created Template:Nihongo, as an external agency attached to it.<ref name="kunaicho_history"/> In 2001, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the Template:Nihongo.<ref name="kunaicho_history"/>
Criticism
The Agency has been criticized for isolating members of the Imperial Family from the Japanese public, and for insisting on stiffly preserved customs, rather than permitting a more approachable, populist monarchy.
In May 2004, Crown Prince Naruhito criticised the then-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household, Toshio Yuasa, for putting pressure on Crown Princess Masako, Naruhito's wife, to bear a male child. At a press conference, Naruhito stated that his wife had "completely exhausted herself" trying to adapt to the Imperial family's life, and added "there were developments that denied Masako's career (up to our marriage) as well as her personality."<ref name="time">The Future of Japan's Monarchy, Time Asia Magazine</ref><ref>Imperial family exposed to media speculation in 2004, Japan Policy and Politics, 10 January 2005</ref><ref>Crown prince back in Japan, will not meet press, Japan Policy and Politics, 24 May 2004</ref> It has officially been stated that Masako is suffering from an "adjustment disorder", but there has been extensive speculation in the press that she is suffering from clinical depression as a result of her treatment by Imperial Household officials.<ref>About a boy: Dynasty, Japan-style Template:Webarchive, The Independent on Sunday, 8 July 2007</ref>
Increasingly in recent years, the Agency's prevention of archaeological research regarding a large number (more than 740) of Kofun Period tombs claimed to be and designated as "Imperial" has come under criticism from academics. The tombs, located in the Kansai region of western Japan, are considered by many academics as potentially holding important historical information on the origins of Japanese civilization; however, the possibility that these potential finds could verify or further solidify theories of formative civilizational ties with contemporary civilizations in China and the Korean Peninsula, with these civilizations potentially having as much influence on the origins of the Imperial Household itself, is generally considered to be a considerable contributing factor to the ongoing prevention of archaeological research at these sites by the Imperial Household Agency, with a large number of the tombs considered by some to be imperial only in name.<ref>Hudson, M. (1999). Ruins of Identity: Ethnogenesis in the Japanese Islands. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.</ref><ref>Oguma, E. (2002). A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-images (translated by David Askew). Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.</ref><ref>Edwards, W. (2000). Contested access: The Imperial tombs in the postwar period. Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2, 371–392.</ref>
Grand Stewards
The Imperial Household Agency is headed by the Grand Steward (Template:Interlanguage link, Article 8-1), whose appointment or dismissal is subject to the Emperor's approval (Article 8-2).
The Grand Steward is vested with comprehensive control over administrative activities within the Agency, and supervisory authority over the service performance of the staff (8–3). He is empowered to interact with the Prime Minister on matters pertaining to the Agency's authorized duties, either requesting the issuance of Cabinet Office ordinances (8–3), or notifying him on pertinent matters (8–4). He has the authorization to hand down orders or directives to staff members of government organs under the agency's direct control (8–6), and may request the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency to take appropriate measures regarding administrative duties that involve the civilian Template:Nihongo.
The Grand Stewardship is a post customarily filled by former Template:Interlanguage link (≒permanent secretaries) at one of several internal affairs (home affairs) type ministries and agencies, or someone with a closely approximating Template:Linktext (e.g., Superintendent General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department), after having served as Vice-Grand Steward.
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Ex-service | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Stewards of the Imperial Household Office | |||||
| 1 | File:Yoshitami Matsudaira.jpg | Template:Interlanguage link | 3 May 1947 – 5 Jun 1948 | Imperial Household Ministry | |
| 2 | File:Michiji Tajima 01.jpg | Template:Interlanguage link | 5 Jun 1948 – 31 May 1949 | Civilian | |
| Grand Stewards of the Imperial Household Agency | |||||
| 1 | File:Michiji Tajima 01.jpg | Michiji Tajima | 1 Jun 1949 – 16 Dec 1953 | Civilian | cont. |
| 2 | Template:Interlanguage link | 16 Dec 1953 – 26 May 1978 | Home Ministry | ||
| 3 | Template:Interlanguage link | 26 May 1978 – 14 Jun 1988 | National Police Agency | ||
| 4 | Template:Interlanguage link | 14 Jun 1988 – 19 Jan 1996 | Ministry of Welfare, Environment Agency | ||
| 5 | Template:Interlanguage link | 19 Jan 1996 – 2 Apr 2001 | National Police Agency | ||
| 6 | Template:Interlanguage link | 2 Apr 2001 – 1 Apr 2005 | Ministry of Home Affairs | ||
| 7 | Shingo Haketa | 1 Apr 2005 – 1 Jun 2012 | Ministry of Health | ||
| 8 | Template:Interlanguage link | 1 Jun 2012 – 26 Sep 2016 | Ministry of Construction | ||
| 9 | Template:Interlanguage link | 26 Sep 2016 – 17 Dec 2019 | Ministry of Home Affairs | ||
| 10 | File:Nishimura yasuhiko.jpg | Template:Interlanguage link | 17 Dec 2019 – present | National Police Agency | |
See also
- Imperial Household Law
- Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
- Imperial Household Department, China
- Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters
- Office of the Yi Dynasty, also known as Ri Oshoku (Template:Lang), which was part of the Imperial Household Ministry during 1911–1945.
Explanatory notes
Citations
References
- Template:Lang and Template:Lang. (2007). Template:Lang: Last Meiji Man. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. Template:ISBN/Template:ISBN; Template:OCLC
Further reading
- Template:Lang. (1986). The Imperial Family of Japan. Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information. Template:OCLC