Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
{{Short description|Former government position in Japan}}
{{about|the office in the Imperial Household of Japan after the 1880s|the ancient office with the same Japanese name|Naidaijin}}
The {{nihongo|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan|内大臣|Naidaijin}} was an administrative post not of Cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan, responsible for being a direct, personal advisor to the emperor, and keeping the Privy Seal of Japan and State Seal of Japan among other things.
The modern office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was identical to the old Naidaijin only in name and should not be confused.http://www.unterstein.net/or/docs/JapanPeers.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} The office was abolished in 1945 after World War II.
History
=Meiji period=
The modern office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was formed in 1885 after the Meiji government established the Japanese cabinet; however, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was separate from the cabinet and acted as a direct, personal advisor to the Emperor. He was also responsible for the administration of imperial documents such as rescripts and edicts. Petitions to the emperor and the court were also handled by the Lord Keeper's office, as well as the responses.
In 1907, the post was expanded to become the {{nihongo|Office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal|内大臣府|Naidaijin-fu}} with a chief secretary, three secretaries, and six assistants to handle the increased workload with the passing of the genrō.
=Shōwa period=
After the start of Emperor Hirohito's reign in 1925, the office and position of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal became increasingly important, at the expense of the office of the Prime Minister. Political infighting within the Diet of Japan further boosted the power of the Lord Keeper. The holder of this position could strictly control who was allowed to have an audience with the emperor and the flow of information.
The position and the office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal were officially abolished on 24 November 1945.http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/glossary.html National Diet Library | Office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Today, the seals are kept in the care of the Chamberlain of Japan.
List of officeholders
† died in office.
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Portrait ! Name ! Term start ! Term end |
| 100px
| Sanjō Sanetomi | 22 December 1885 | 18 February 1891† |
| 100px
| Tokudaiji Sanetsune | 21 February 1891 | 12 August 1912 |
| 100px
| Katsura Tarō | 21 August 1912 | 21 December 1912 |
| 100px
| Prince Fushimi Sadanaru | 21 December 1912 | 13 January 1915 |
| 100px
| Ōyama Iwao | 23 April 1915 | 10 December 1916† |
| 100px
| Matsukata Masayoshi | 2 May 1917 | 18 September 1922 |
| 100px
| Hirata Tosuke | 19 September 1922 | 30 March 1925 |
| 65px
| {{smaller|Hamao Arata |colspan="2"| {{smaller|acting |
| 100px
| Makino Nobuaki | 30 March 1925 | 26 February 1935 |
| 100px
| Saitō Makoto | 26 February 1935 | 26 February 1936† |
| 65px
| {{smaller|Ichiki Kitokuro |colspan="2"| {{smaller|acting |
| 100px
| Yuasa Kurahei | 6 March 1936 | 1 June 1940 |
| 100px
| Kōichi Kido | 1 June 1940 | 24 November 1945 |
See also
Notes
{{reflist}}
References
- Takenobu, Yoshitaro. (1928). The Japan Yearbook; Complete Cyclopaedia of General Information and Statistics on Japan and Japanese Territories. Tokyo: The Japan Year Book Office. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/145151778 OCLC 145151778]
External links
- National Archives of Japan [https://web.archive.org/web/20080202015733/http://jpimg.digital.archives.go.jp/jpg_prg/jgmWeb?%25TmpFileDisp%25Env=jpeg2k_images%2Fphoto%2Fsuumitsuin%2Fsuumitsuin_001_e.env ...Click link for photograph of meeting of Privy Counsel (1946)]
- [http://libarchive.dartmouth.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/presstrans/id/11221/rec/48 Article on the abolishment of the position of Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from Japanese Press Translations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801225352/http://libarchive.dartmouth.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/presstrans/id/11221/rec/48 |date=2020-08-01 }}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1885 establishments in Japan