65-553: Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The Constitution of the Empire of Japan ( Kyūjitai : 大日本帝國憲法 ; Shinjitai : 大日本帝国憲法 , romanized: Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kenpō ), known informally as
130-582: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford . He visited some 21 historic pubs, including the Trout Inn . He joined the Japan Society and the drama society, and became the honorary president of the karate and judo clubs. He played inter-college tennis, seeded number three out of six on the Merton team, and took golf lessons from a pro. In his three years at Merton he also climbed the highest peaks in three of
195-466: A constitutional amendment per Article 73 of the Meiji Constitution. After garnering the required two-thirds majority in both chambers, it received imperial assent on November 3, 1946, and took effect on May 3, 1947. Prior to the adoption of the Meiji Constitution, Japan had in practice no written constitution . Originally, a Chinese-inspired legal system and constitution known as ritsuryō
260-477: A precious bridge to the unknown world, so to speak." In August 1974, when the prince was 14, he was sent to Melbourne , Australia, for a homestay. His father, then the crown prince Akihito, had a positive experience there on a trip the year before and encouraged his son to go as well. He stayed with the family of businessman Colin Harper. He got along with his host brothers, riding around Point Lonsdale , playing
325-732: A staff member working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , at a tea gathering for Infanta Elena of Spain in November 1986, during her studies at the University of Tokyo . The prince was immediately captivated by her, and arranged for them to meet several times over the next few weeks. Because of this, they were pursued relentlessly by the press throughout 1987. Despite the Imperial Household Agency's disapproval of her, and her attending Balliol College, Oxford , for
390-593: Is Emperor of Japan . He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following his father's abdication on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession . Naruhito is the elder son of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko . He was born during the reign of his paternal grandfather, Hirohito (Emperor Shōwa), and became heir apparent following his father's accession in 1989. He
455-870: Is also a supporter of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and in 2006 attended the 14th Nippon Jamboree , the Japanese national jamboree organized by the Scout Association of Japan . The crown prince had also been an honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society since 1994. In 2001, the crown prince visited the United Kingdom ; he met Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle . For two weeks in 2012,
520-409: Is interested in water policy and water conservation and likes to play the viola . He was an honorary president of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and is a supporter of the World Organization of the Scout Movement . Before becoming emperor, he was generally referred in the Japanese press by his princely title Kōtaishi (Crown Prince, 皇太子 lit. "Great Imperial Son"). Upon succeeding to
585-598: Is limited to performing ceremonial duties as delineated by the constitution, and even then he is constrained by the requirements of the constitution and the binding advice of the cabinet. For instance, while he formally appoints the Prime Minister, he is required to appoint the person designated by the National Diet . The enthronement ceremony took place on 22 October 2019, where he was duly enthroned in an ancient-style proclamation ceremony. On 23 July 2021,
650-469: Is not traditionally listed. Universal manhood suffrage Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the slogan, " one man, one vote ". In 1789, Revolutionary France adopted the Declaration of
715-841: The Article 42 of the post-war Japanese Constitution based on bicameralism ) and the House of Peers as the upper house , (which resembled the Prussian Herrenhaus and the British House of Lords , now the House of Councillors of Japan under the Article 42 of the post-war Japanese Constitution based on bicameralism), and in the formal Speech from the Throne delivered by the Emperor on Opening Day (existing currently, under
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#1732757720963780-399: The Article 7 of the post-war Japanese Constitution ). The second chapter of the constitution, detailing the rights of citizens , bore a resemblance to similar articles in both European and North American constitutions of the day. The Meiji Constitution consists of 76 articles in seven chapters, together amounting to around 2,500 words. It is also usually reproduced with its Preamble,
845-883: The Cabinet after his death. The name of the next era under his successor will be established after his death or before his abdication . Naruhito was born on 23 February 1960 at 4:15 p.m. in the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo Imperial Palace . As a prince, he later quipped, "I was born in a barn inside the moat". His parents, Akihito and Michiko , were then crown prince and crown princess of Japan, while his paternal grandfather, Hirohito (Emperor Shōwa), reigned as emperor. Reuters news agency reported that Naruhito's paternal grandmother, Empress Kōjun , had driven her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to depression in
910-616: The Civil Rights Movement gained passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 through Congress . In 1925, the Japanese government passed a bill granting universal manhood suffrage , additionally removing the poll tax . The New Women's Society sidestepped its activism that year in order for legislation to freely pass. As women also began to win the right to vote during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
975-662: The Meiji Constitution ( 明治憲法 , Meiji Kenpō ), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in force between November 29, 1890, and May 2, 1947. Enacted after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it provided for a form of mixed constitutional and absolute monarchy , based jointly on the German and British models . In theory, the Emperor of Japan governed
1040-549: The National Foundation Day of Japan in 660 BC), but came into effect on November 29, 1890. The first National Diet of Japan , a new representative assembly , convened on the day the Meiji Constitution came into force. The organizational structure of the Diet reflected both Prussian and British influences, most notably in the inclusion of the House of Representatives as the lower house (existing currently, under
1105-521: The Privy Council was established in 1888 to evaluate the forthcoming constitution, and to advise Emperor Meiji. The draft committee included Inoue Kowashi , Kaneko Kentarō , Itō Miyoji and Iwakura Tomomi , along with a number of foreign advisors , in particular the German legal scholars Rudolf von Gneist and Lorenz von Stein . The central issue was the balance between sovereignty vested in
1170-535: The ritsuryō system of government had become largely an empty formality as early as in the middle of the Heian period in the 10th and 11th centuries, a development which was completed by the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1185. The high positions in the ritsuryō system remained as sinecures , and the emperor was de-powered and set aside as a symbolic figure who "reigned, but did not rule" (on
1235-609: The surrender in the World War II on September 2, 1945, the Empire of Japan was deprived of sovereignty by the Allies , and the Meiji Constitution was suspended. During the Occupation of Japan , the Meiji Constitution was replaced by a new document, the postwar Constitution of Japan . This document replaced imperial rule with a form of Western-style liberal democracy . To preserve legal continuity, these changes were enacted as
1300-458: The viola , having switched from the violin because he thought the latter "too much of a leader, too prominent" to suit his musical and personal tastes. He enjoys jogging , hiking , and mountaineering in his spare time. According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida , the emperor and King Charles III 's families share an "intimate relationship". As the crown prince he was a patron of the 1998 Winter Olympics and 1998 Winter Paralympics . He
1365-569: The 126th Emperor of Japan as of 1 May 2019. Following an abdication ceremony on the afternoon of 30 April, Akihito's reign and the Heisei era continued until the end of the day. Naruhito then succeeded him as emperor at the beginning of the day on 1 May, ushering in the Reiwa era . The transition took place at midnight, and Naruhito formally began his reign in a ceremony later that morning. In his first statement as emperor, he pledged to reflect deeply on
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#17327577209631430-557: The 1960s by persistently accusing Michiko of not being suitable for her son. His childhood was reported to be happy, and he enjoyed activities such as mountain climbing , riding , and learning the violin . He played with the children of the royal chamberlain , and he was a fan of the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League , his favorite player being No. 3, later team manager, Shigeo Nagashima . One day, Naruhito found
1495-634: The 20th century, and many poor white people were later disenfranchised. The expansion of suffrage was largely peaceful, excepting the Rhode Island Dorr Rebellion . Most African-American men remained excluded; though the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , ratified in 1870, upheld their voting rights, they were denied the right to vote in many places for another century until
1560-645: The Constitution or the Emperor is supreme. The Emperor of Japan had the right to exercise executive authority, and to appoint and dismiss all government officials. The Emperor also had the sole rights to declare war, make peace, conclude treaties, dissolve the lower house of Diet , and issue Imperial ordinances in place of laws when the Diet was not in session. Most importantly, command over the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy
1625-483: The Constitution was the opening of the first Parliamentary government in Asia. The Meiji Constitution established clear limits on the power of the executive branch and the Emperor. It also created an independent judiciary . Civil rights and civil liberties were allowed, though they were freely subject to limitation by law. Free speech, freedom of association and freedom of religion were all limited by laws. The leaders of
1690-451: The Diet, an amendment had to be adopted in both chambers by a two-thirds majority of the total number of members of each (rather than merely two-thirds of the total number of votes cast). Once it had been approved by the Diet, an amendment was then promulgated into law by the Emperor, who had an absolute right of veto. No amendment to the constitution was permitted during the time of a regency. Despite these provisions, no amendments were made to
1755-447: The Diet, and no measure could become law without the agreement of the Emperor and the Diet. On the other hand, the Diet was given the authority to initiate legislation, approve all laws, and approve the budget. Amendments to the constitution were provided for by Article 73. This stipulated that, to become law, a proposed amendment had to be submitted first to the Diet by the Emperor through an imperial order or rescript. To be approved by
1820-594: The Diet, was established with two houses. The Upper House, or House of Peers consisted of members of the Imperial Family, hereditary peerage and members appointed by the Emperor. The Lower House, or House of Representatives was directly elected by all males who paid at least 15 yen in property taxes, effectively limiting the suffrage to 1.1 percent of the population. These qualifications were loosened in 1900 and 1919 with universal adult male suffrage introduced in 1925. The Emperor shared legislative authority with
1885-492: The Imperial Household Agency launched an Instagram account for the imperial family, which received 300,000 followers by the end of its debut on the platform. The account was reportedly launched to "reach out" to Japan's younger generations. The Emperor and Empress embarked on a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom in late June 2024, at the invitation of King Charles III . The imperial couple had originally planned to visit in 2020 as guests of Queen Elizabeth II , but
1950-740: The Imperial Oath Sworn in the Sanctuary in the Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Rescript on the Promulgation of the Constitution, which together come to nearly another 1,000 words. The seven chapters are: Unlike its modern successor, the Meiji Constitution was founded on the principle that sovereignty resided in person of the Emperor, by virtue of his divine ancestry "unbroken for ages eternal", rather than in
2015-815: The Rights of Man and of the Citizen and, although short-lived, the National Convention was elected by all men in 1792. It was revoked by the Directory in 1795. Universal male suffrage was re-established in France in the wake of the French Revolution of 1848 . In the Australian colonies, universal male suffrage first became law in the colony of South Australia in 1856. This was followed by
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2080-522: The colonies of Victoria and New South Wales in 1857 and 1858. This included the introduction of the secret ballot. In the United States , the rise of Jacksonian democracy from the 1820s to 1850s led to a close approximation of universal manhood suffrage among white people being adopted in all states by 1856. Poorer white male citizens gained representation; however, tax-paying requirements remained in five states until 1860, in two states until
2145-660: The constituent countries of the United Kingdom: Scotland's Ben Nevis , Wales's Snowdon and Scafell Pike in England. While at Oxford, he also was able to go sightseeing across Europe and meet much of its royalty, including the British royal family . The relatively relaxed manners of the United Kingdom's royals amazed him: " Queen Elizabeth II , he noted with surprise, poured her own tea and served
2210-487: The course followed by his father, and fulfill his constitutional responsibility "as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people of Japan". Under Article 4 of the Constitution , the emperor's role is defined as entirely ceremonial and representative. Unlike most other constitutional monarchs, the emperor lacks even nominal powers related to government; he is barred from making political statements. His role
2275-495: The courts "in the name of the Emperor". Rules on the succession of the imperial throne and on the Imperial household were left outside the Constitution; instead, a separate Act on the Imperial household ( koshitu tenpan ) was adopted. This Act was not publicly promulgated, because it was seen as a private Act of the Imperial household rather than a public law. Separate provisions of the Constitution are contradictory as to whether
2340-443: The crown prince temporarily took charge of his father's duties while the emperor underwent and recovered from heart bypass surgery. Naruhito's birthday was named " Mount Fuji Day" by Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures because of his reported love of the mountain. On 1 December 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Naruhito's father, Emperor Akihito, would abdicate on 30 April 2019 , and that Naruhito would become
2405-574: The crown prince with the title Prince Hiro ( 浩宮 , Hiro-no-miya ) on 23 February 1991. Her first pregnancy was announced in December 1999, but she miscarried . They finally had one daughter, Aiko, Princess Toshi ( 敬宮愛子内親王 , Toshi-no-miya Aiko Naishinnō ) , born 1 December 2001 at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital at Tokyo Imperial Palace. The Japanese imperial succession debate started around
2470-646: The emperor marked his 64th birthday with a message mourning the victims of the Noto earthquake , and expressed desire to visit the affected areas. He had previously received condolences for the victims from King Charles III of the United Kingdom in early January. The emperor and empress visited Wajima and Suzu , two earthquake-stricken cities in the Noto Peninsula on 22 March. The couple later visited an evacuation center in Anamizu on 12 April. In April 2024,
2535-538: The empire with the advice of his ministers; in practice, the Emperor was head of state but the Prime Minister was the actual head of government . Under the Meiji Constitution, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet were not necessarily chosen from the elected members of parliament . During the Allied occupation of Japan , the Meiji Constitution was replaced with the " Postwar Constitution " on November 3, 1946;
2600-705: The forum's opening ceremony titled "Waterways Connecting Kyoto and Local Regions". Visiting Mexico in March 2006, he gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony for the Fourth World Water Forum, " Edo and Water Transport". And in December 2007, he gave a commemorative talk at the opening ceremony for the First Asia-Pacific Water Summit, "Humans and Water: From Japan to the Asia-Pacific Region". He plays
2665-611: The geography club. He graduated from Gakushuin University in March 1982 with a Bachelor of Letters degree in history . In July 1983, he undertook a three-month intensive English course before entering Merton College, Oxford University, in the United Kingdom, where he studied until 1986. He did not, however, submit his thesis A Study of Navigation and Traffic on the Upper Thames in the 18th Century until 1989. He later revisited these years in his book, The Thames and I –
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2730-402: The government and the political parties were left with the task of interpretation as to whether the Meiji Constitution could be used to justify authoritarian or liberal-democratic rule. It was the struggle between these tendencies that dominated the government of the Empire of Japan. Franchise was limited, with only 1.1% of the population eligible to vote for the Diet. Universal manhood suffrage
2795-465: The government since the beginnings of the Meiji government . The conservative Meiji oligarchy viewed anything resembling democracy or republicanism with suspicion and trepidation, and favored a gradualist approach. The Freedom and People's Rights Movement demanded the immediate establishment of an elected national assembly , and the promulgation of a constitution. On October 21, 1881, Itō Hirobumi
2860-399: The imperial constitution from the time it was adopted until its demise in 1947. The present constitution is legally reckoned as an amendment to the Meiji Constitution; this was done to preserve legal continuity even though it is a completely new document. However, according to Article 73 of the Meiji Constitution, the amendment should be authorized by the Emperor. Indeed, the 1947 Constitution
2925-527: The justification of the emperor's authority through his divine descent and the unbroken line of emperors, and the unique relationship between subject and sovereign. The Council of State was replaced in 1885 with a cabinet headed by Itō as Prime Minister . The positions of Chancellor , Minister of the Left , and Minister of the Right , which had existed since the seventh century, were abolished. In their place,
2990-555: The latter document has been in force since May 3, 1947. In order to maintain legal continuity, the Postwar Constitution was enacted as an amendment to the Meiji Constitution. The Meiji Restoration in 1868 provided Japan a form of constitutional monarchy based on the Prusso - German model, in which the Emperor of Japan was an active ruler and wielded considerable political power over foreign policy and diplomacy which
3055-558: The most interest to the Constitutional Study Mission. Influence was also drawn from the British Westminster system , although it was considered as being unwieldy and granting too much power to Parliament . He also rejected some notions as unfit for Japan, as they stemmed from European constitutional practice and Christianity. He therefore added references to the kokutai or "national polity" as
3120-681: The new emperor opened the 2020 Summer Olympics (originally scheduled to be played in 2020, postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic ) hosted in Tokyo, just as his grandfather, Emperor Shōwa, had done in 1964 . The imperial couple's first trip abroad as emperor and empress took place in September 2022, to the United Kingdom to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. They visited Indonesia in June 2023, their first state visit. In February 2024,
3185-426: The next two years, he remained interested in her. He proposed to her three times before the Imperial Palace announced their engagement on 19 January 1993. The wedding took place on 9 June the same year at the Imperial Shinto Hall in Tokyo before 800 invited guests, including many of Europe's heads of state and royalty. By the time of their marriage, his father had ascended the throne, so the prince had been invested as
3250-414: The people. Article 4 states that the "Emperor is the head of the Empire, combining in himself the rights of sovereignty". The Emperor, nominally at least, united within himself all three branches ( executive , legislative and judiciary ) of government, although legislation (article 5) and the budget (article 64) were subject to the "consent of the Imperial Diet". Laws were issued and justice administered by
3315-425: The person of the Emperor, and an elected representative legislature with powers that would limit or restrict the power of the sovereign. After numerous drafts from 1886 to 1888, the final version was submitted to Emperor Meiji in April 1888. The Meiji Constitution was drafted in secret by the committee, without public debate. The new constitution was promulgated by Emperor Meiji on February 11, 1889 (the anniversary of
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#17327577209633380-410: The remains of an ancient roadway on the palace grounds, sparking a lifelong fascination with the history of transportation , which would provide the subject of his bachelor's and master's degrees in history. He later said, "I have had a keen interest in roads since childhood. On roads, you can go to the unknown world. Since I have been leading a life where I have few chances to go out freely, roads are
3445-485: The sandwiches." He also went skiing with Liechtenstein 's Prince Hans-Adam II , holidayed in Mallorca in the Mediterranean with Spain's King Juan Carlos I , and sailed with Norway 's Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands . Upon his return to Japan, he enrolled once more in Gakushūin University to earn a Master of Humanities degree in history, successfully earning his degree in 1988. Naruhito first met Owada Masako,
3510-424: The state visit was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The rescheduled visit went ahead despite concerns of postponement due to the British general election campaign that began in late May. It was the first state visit in modern times to take place during an active election campaign. Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are in CE / AD Imperial Consort and Regent Empress Jingū
3575-402: The theory that the living god should not have to defile himself with matters of earthly government). The Charter Oath was promulgated on 6 April 1868, which outlined the fundamental policies of the government and demanded the establishment of deliberative assemblies , but it did not determine the details. The idea of a written constitution had been a subject of heated debate within and without
3640-494: The throne he is referred to as "His Majesty the Emperor" ( 天皇陛下 , Tennō Heika ) , which may be shortened to "His Majesty" ( 陛下 , Heika ) . In writing, the emperor is also referred to formally as " The Reigning Emperor " ( 今上天皇 , Kinjō Tennō ) . The era of his reign bears the name " Reiwa " ( 令和 ) pronounced [ɾeːwa] , and according to custom he will be referred to as Emperor Reiwa ( 令和天皇 , Reiwa Tennō , see " posthumous name ") by order of
3705-399: The time when it became increasingly clear over the following years that Princess Aiko would be their only child. The emperor made unprecedented remarks on the issue on June 19, 2024 at a news conference in the imperial palace. He is interested in water policy and water conservation. In March 2003, in his capacity as honorary president of the Third World Water Forum , he delivered a speech at
3770-412: The violin and tennis , and climbing Uluru together. Once he even played the violin for dignitaries at a state dinner at Government House hosted by Governor-General Sir John Kerr . When the prince was four years old he was enrolled in the prestigious Gakushūin school system, where many of Japan's elite families and narikin ( nouveaux riches ) send their children. In senior high, Naruhito joined
3835-438: Was appointed to chair a government bureau to research various forms of constitutional government, and in 1882, Itō led an overseas mission to observe and study various systems first-hand. The United States Constitution was rejected as too liberal. The French and Spanish models were rejected as tending toward despotism . The Reichstag and legal structures of the German Empire , particularly that of Prussia , proved to be of
3900-575: Was authorized by the Emperor (as was declared in the letter of promulgation), which is in apparent conflict of the 1947 Constitution, according to which that constitution was made and authorized by the nation ("the principle of popular sovereignty"). To dissipate such inconsistencies, some peculiar doctrine of "August Revolution" was proposed by Toshiyoshi Miyazawa of the University of Tokyo , but without much persuasiveness. Naruhito The Emperor The Empress The Emperor Emeritus The Empress Emerita Naruhito (born 23 February 1960)
3965-410: Was directly held by the Emperor, and not the Diet. The Meiji Constitution provided for a cabinet consisting of Ministers of State who answered to the Emperor rather than the Diet, and to the establishment of the Privy Council . Not mentioned in the Constitution were the genrō , an inner circle of advisors to the Emperor, who wielded considerable influence. Under the Meiji Constitution, a legislature,
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#17327577209634030-429: Was enacted in the 6th century (in the late Asuka period and early Nara period ); it described a government based on an elaborate and theoretically rational meritocratic bureaucracy, serving under the ultimate authority of the emperor and organised following Chinese models. In theory the last ritsuryō code, the Yōrō Code enacted in 752, was still in force at the time of the Meiji Restoration. However, in practice
4095-425: Was formally invested as Crown Prince of Japan in 1991. He attended Gakushūin schools in Tokyo and later studied history at Gakushuin University and English at Merton College, Oxford . In June 1993, he married diplomat Owada Masako . They have one daughter: Aiko . Continuing his grandfather's and father's boycott over the enshrinement of convicted war criminals , Naruhito has never visited Yasukuni Shrine . He
4160-425: Was not established (under law) until the General Election Law , which gave every male aged 25 and over a voting right, was enacted in 1925. The Meiji Constitution was used as a model for the 1931 Constitution of Ethiopia by the Ethiopian intellectual Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam . This was one of the reasons why the progressive Ethiopian intelligentsia associated with Tekle Hawariat were known as "Japanizers". By
4225-413: Was shared with an elected Imperial Diet . The Diet primarily dictated domestic policy matters. After the Meiji Restoration, which restored direct political power to the emperor for the first time in over a millennium, Japan underwent a period of sweeping political and social reform and westernization aimed at strengthening Japan to the level of the nations of the Western world. The immediate consequence of
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