The (IHA) is an agency of the

government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

in charge of state matters concerning the

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pap ...

, and also the keeping of the

Privy Seal A privy seal refers to the personal seal of a reigning monarch, used for the purpose of authenticating official documents of a much more personal nature. This is in contrast with that of a great seal, which is used for documents of greater impor ...

and

State Seal of Japan State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

. From around the 8th century AD, up until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was known as the . The Agency is unique among conventional government agencies and ministries, in that it does not directly report to the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

at the cabinet level, nor is it affected by legislation that establishes it as an

Independent Administrative Institution An Incorporated Administrative Agency (独立行政法人, ''Dokuritsu gyōsei hōjin'' or ''Dokugyo'' in abbreviation) is a type of legal corporation formulated by the Government of Japan under the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrat ...

Organization and functions

The IHA is headed by the Director-General of IHA, assisted by the Deputy Director of IHA, appointed by the Cabinet.Imperial Household Agency
Organization
/ref> The main organizational positions within the Agency are: * the Grand Steward's Secretariat * the

Board of Chamberlains The is a department of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. History According to Taihō Code around the 8th century, it was presupposed that a chamberlain belonged to the Ministry of the Center. When the was installed during the Heian era, ...

* the Crown Prince's Household * the

Board of Ceremonies The is a department of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. The board is the chief administration charged with ceremonial matters. History The history dates back to the Asuka period of the 8th century under the Taihō Code, when the was for ...

* the

Archives and Mausolea Department The Archives and Mausolea Department (書陵部 ''Shoryō-bu'') is a division of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. The department is headed by a Director-General and consists of the following divisions: * Archives Division * Compiling * Im ...

* the Maintenance and Works Department * the Kyoto Office The current Director-General is . The Agency's headquarters is located within the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The Agency's duties and responsibilities encompass the daily activities of the Imperial household, such as

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

s, organised events, preservation of traditional culture and administrative functions, amongst other responsibilities. The Agency is also responsible for the various Imperial residences located throughout Japan, and also organises guided tours for visitors who wish to tour the Tokyo Imperial Palace, the

Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered in 1877. Today, the grounds are open t ...

, the

Katsura Detached Palace The , or Katsura Detached Palace, is an Imperial residence with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan. Located on the western bank of the Katsura River in Katsura, Nishikyō-ku, the Villa is 8km distant f ...

, and other residences and locations falling under the IHA's remit. The Agency also holds responsibility 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 A chamberlain (Medieval Latin: ''cambellanus'' or ''cambrerius'', with charge of treasury ''camerarius'') is a senior royal official in charge of managing a royal household. Historically, the chamberlain superintends the arrangement of domestic ...

, manages the daily life of the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

and the

Empress An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, and also holds responsibility for keeping the

and

. The Grand Master of the Board of the Crown Prince's Household helps manage the schedules, dining menus, and household maintenance of the Crown Prince and his family.

History

Imperial_Household_Ministry_in_Meiji_Era

Imperial Palace Tokyo Sakashita Mon and Imperial Household

The Imperial Household Agency traces its origins back to institutions established by the

Taihō Code The was an administrative reorganisation enacted in 703 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the . It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito. Nussbaum, Louis-Fr� ...

(or more formally, ) promulgated in 701–702 AD.沿革 (Enkaku)
/ref> The system established the namesake , a precursor to the present agency; the former code also gave rise to the , which has its legacy in the under the current agency, and the which oversaw the that would now correspond to the Agency's . The basic structures remained in place until the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

(1868).

Meiji period

The early Meiji government officially installed the on 15 August 1869. Though the names are occasionally differentiated in English as the "Imperial Household Agency", versus the former, Meiji period "

Ministry of the Imperial Household The was a division of the eighth century Japanese government of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, instituted in the Asuka period and formalized during the Heian period. The Ministry was reorganized in the Meiji period and existed until 1947, before ...

", 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 and later the (1871–1872) were briefly established, having been placed in charge of, for example, the under the , one of the tasks designated to the Agency today. Meanwhile, the Meiji government created the in 1871, which was soon renamed in 1872. Also in 1872, the Ministry of Shinto Affairs was abolished, with the bulk of duties moved to the and the administration of formal ceremonial functions transferred to the aforementioned Board/Bureau of the Ceremonies. keeps calling it "Board of Ceremonies" instead of "Bureau" even after the name change. The Bureau of the Ceremonies was initially placed under the care of the , but was later transferred to the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in September 1877. The Bureau underwent yet another name change to in October 1884. 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. The ministry also oversaw the official appointments of

Imperial Household Artist An was an artist who was officially appointed by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan to create works of art for the Tokyo Imperial Palace and other imperial residences. History The system came into being during the Meiji period in 1890 and ...

s and commissioned their work.

Imperial Household Office, 1947–1949

The , a downgraded version of the ministry, was created pursuant to Law No. 70 of 1947 during the

American Occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

. 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 The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...

.In 1947, ahead of the new constitution the

Imperial Household Act is a statute in Japanese law that governs the line of imperial succession, the membership of the imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household. In 2017, the National Diet changed the law ...

was promulgated, along with the (Law No. 4 of 1947) and the Imperial Household Office Law (Law. No. 70 of 1947) Reprint 2002

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 , as an external agency attached to it. In 2001, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the .

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, Prince Naruhito criticised the then-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household, , for putting pressure on

Princess Masako is as the consort of Emperor Naruhito, who ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. Masako, who was educated at Harvard and Oxford, had a prior career as a diplomat. Early life and education was born on 9 December 1963 at Toranomon ...

, 's wife, to bear a male child. At a press conference, stated that his wife had "completely exhausted herself" trying to adapt to the Imperial family's life, and added "there were developments that denied 's career (up to our marriage) as well as her personality."The Future of Japan's Monarchy
''Time Asia'' Magazine It has officially been stated that is suffering from an "

adjustment disorder Adjustment disorder is a maladaptive response to a psychosocial stressor. It is classified as a mental disorder. The maladaptive response usually involves otherwise normal emotional and behavioral reactions that manifest more intensely than usual ...

", 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. Increasingly in recent years, the Agency's prevention of archaeological research regarding a large number (more than 740) of

Kofun Period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

tombs claimed to be and designated as "Imperial" has come under criticism from academics. The tombs, located in the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...

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 Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, 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 IHA, with a large number of the tombs considered by some to be imperial only in name.Edwards, W. (2000). Contested access: The Imperial tombs in the postwar period. ''Journal of Japanese Studies'', Vol. 26, No. 2, 371–392.

Grand Stewards

The Imperial Household Agency is headed by the Grand Steward (, 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 administrate activities within the Agency, and supervisory authority over the service performance of the staff (8–3). He is empowered to interact with the

on matters pertaining to the Agency's authorized duties, either requesting the issuance of

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

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 also request the Commissioner General of the

National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: Cuban National Police *East Timor: National Police of E ...

to take appropriate measures regarding administrative duties that involve the civilian . The Grand Stewardship is a post customarily filled by former (≒ permanent secretaries) at one of several internal affairs (home affairs) type ministries and agencies, or someone with a closely approximating (e.g., Superintendent General of the

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The serves as the prefectural police department of Tokyo Metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission, and approved by the Prime Minister. The Tokyo Metro ...

), after having served as Vice-Grand Steward.

Explanatory notes

Citations

References

* and . (2007). '': Last Meiji Man.'' Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. /;

External links

* {{Authority control Cabinet Office (Japan) Chiyoda, Tokyo Japanese monarchy Ministries established in 1949 Royal households