Ministry of Justice

Japanese: 刑部省 - ぎょうぶしょう

(1) One of the eight ministries that belonged to the Daijokan under the Ritsuryo system. Keibu was a Chinese name, and in the Wamyōshō it is written as “utahe tadasu tsukasa.” It was an office in charge of the trial of lawsuits and the punishment of criminals. It controlled the Prison Bureau and the Agammono no Tsukasa, but in 808 the Agammono no Tsukasa was abolished and its duties were taken over by the Ministry of Justice. The chief judge was a Minister of Justice, equivalent to the rank of Shoshi no shi, but sometimes a nobleman also held the position. There were also Dai, Chu, and Sho Judges, legal experts who actually tried cases and determined crimes, and were hereditary in the Nakahara and Sakanoue families. When the Kebiishi were established in 816, the duties of the Ministry of Justice were gradually transferred to them, and later it became almost a nameless office.

(2) After serving as a criminal law officer from the Criminal Law Affairs Department established in the early Meiji period, the ministry was one of the "two offices and six ministries" newly established with the government reform on July 8, 1869 (Meiji 2), and was responsible for judicial administration, judicial affairs, and trials. It was launched with Masagimachi Sanjo Saneyoshi and Sasaki Takayuki as the first Minister of Justice and Daifu (Vice Minister), respectively. On December 2 of the same year, the Prison Office was established under its jurisdiction to handle prison administration. On December 27, 1870, it published and distributed the New Code of Law. On July 9 of the following year, it was abolished along with the Danjodai, and the duties of both were taken over by the Ministry of Justice.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

(1) 令制で太政官に属した八省の一つ。刑部は唐名で，『和名抄』には「うたへただすつかさ」とある。訴訟の裁判，罪人の処罰を司る役所。囚獄司と贓贖司 (あがもののつかさ) とを支配していたが，大同3 (808) 年贓贖司は廃され，職務は刑部省が行うこととなった。長官は正四位下相当の刑部卿であるが，公卿が兼ねたこともある。また大，中，少判事がおり，実際に裁判して罪を決定する法律の専門家で，中原，坂上両家の世襲であった。弘仁7 (816) 年検非違使 (けびいし) が設置されると，刑部省の職掌は次第にこれに移り，のちにはほとんど有名無実となった。

(2) 明治初年に設けられた刑法事務科より刑法官を経て，明治2 (1869) 年7月8日の官制改革に伴い新設された「二官六省」中の1省で，司法行政，司法事務および裁判を司った。正親町三条実愛，佐々木高行をそれぞれ初代刑部卿，大輔 (次官) に迎えて発足した。同年 12月2日には，囚獄司をその管轄下に設け，監獄行政の任にあたらせた。また同3年 12月 27日には，新律綱領を上梓頒布した。翌年7月9日，弾正台とともに廃止され，司法省が両者の任務を継受した。

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