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The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, 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, 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 at the cabinet level, nor is it affected by legislation that establishes it as an Independent Administrative Institution.


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 is the head department of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. History The origins of the structure of the Imperial Household can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Monmu, with the organisation of the government structure in 701 AD ...
* the Board of Chamberlains * the Crown Prince's Household * the Board of Ceremonies * 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 Katsura Detached Palace, 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 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
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 ...
. 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

The Imperial Household Agency traces its origins back to institutions established by the Taihō Code (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 (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", 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 Artists 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.In 1947, ahead of the new constitution the Imperial Household Act 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 is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession ...
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", 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 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 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 Prime Minister 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 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), after having served as Vice-Grand Steward.


See also

* Imperial Household Law * Chamberlain of Japan * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan * Imperial Household Department, China *
Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters The was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War in the town of Matsushiro, which is now a suburb of Nagano, Japan. The facility was constructed so that the central organs of the government of the Empire of Japan ...
*
Office of the Yi Dynasty The Office of the Yi Dynasty or called Yiwangjik was an organization to manage every affairs related to the royal House of Yi of Korea during the Japanese occupation. It was established in February 1911 as part of the Japanese central government' ...
, also known as Ri Oshoku (李王職), which was part of the Imperial Household Ministry during 1911-1945.


Explanatory notes


Citations


References

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


Further reading

* . (1986). ''The Imperial Family of Japan.'' Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information.


External links

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