General Staff Headquarters - sanbouhonbu

The highest advisory body for military command. The staff system, in which the commander is supported in planning operations and military tactics, originated in Prussia. In Prussia, the Ministry of War was established in 1809, and the General Staff was set up. In 1883, the Chief of the Army General Staff was given the right to make direct petitions to the King. Western European countries gradually began to adopt this staff system, and today many countries have general staffs for the army, navy, and air force, and a joint staff organization has been established to ensure the joint operation of the three services. Examples include the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the United States and the Chief of Defence Staff in the United Kingdom.

In Japan, the first General Staff Bureau was established in 1871 (Meiji 4) as a separate bureau within the Ministry of War. In 1873, the Ministry of the Army was established and the General Staff Bureau became the sixth bureau within the ministry. It was abolished in 1874 and the General Staff Bureau was established as an external bureau to the Ministry of the Army. In 1878, the General Staff Bureau was abolished and the General Staff Headquarters was established as an independent body from the Ministry of the Army, directly subordinate to the Emperor and in charge of issuing army orders. In 1886, the General Staff Headquarters became the unified military order control body for both the Army and Navy departments, subordinate to the General Staff Headquarters.

The General Staff was responsible for planning the army and navy military, and a member of the imperial family was appointed as its Chief of Staff. In 1888, the Army and Navy departments became the Army General Staff and the Naval General Staff, respectively, with the Chief of Staff being a military officer. In 1889, the Naval General Staff was established independently under the Minister of the Navy, and the Army General Staff was renamed General Staff Headquarters and became the exclusive body for issuing army orders. The Naval General Staff was later reorganized from the Naval Military Staff Department to the Military Order Department. With the revision of the Chief of Staff's duties in 1893, military orders during wartime came under the jurisdiction of the Imperial General Headquarters. The Imperial General Headquarters was established during the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, and from the Second Sino-Japanese War through the Pacific War. The Chief of Staff's duties were to "be directly subordinate to the Emperor, participate in military affairs at the Imperial Guard, oversee plans related to national defense and military tactics, and control the General Staff" (General Staff Ordinance, 1908). The General Staff was abolished in 1945.

[Kameno Masao]

"The Japanese General Staff, by Shinobu Oe (Iwanami Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

軍の統帥における最高補佐機関。作戦、用兵などの企画に加わり指揮官を補佐する参謀制度はプロイセンに起源をもつ。プロイセンでは、1809年に陸軍省が創設され、参謀本部が置かれた。1883年には、陸軍参謀総長に国王に対する直接上奏権が与えられた。西欧諸国もしだいにこの参謀制度を採用し始め、現在では多くの国々で陸海空三軍に参謀本部が置かれ、三軍の統合運用のために統合参謀機関が設けられている。たとえばアメリカ統合参謀本部、イギリス国防参謀本部など。

　日本では1871年（明治4）に兵部省内別局として参謀局が置かれたのが最初である。73年に陸軍省が設置され、参謀局は省内第六局となった。同局は74年に廃止され、陸軍省外局として参謀局が置かれた。78年、参謀局廃止、新たに陸軍省から独立し天皇に直隷して陸軍軍令をつかさどる参謀本部が設けられ、86年には参謀本部の下に陸軍部と海軍部が所属する両軍統一の軍令統轄機関となった。

　参謀本部は陸海軍軍計画を行うものとされ、参謀本部長には皇族が任命された。1888年に陸・海軍部がそれぞれ陸軍参謀本部、海軍参謀本部となり、参謀本部長は参軍となった。さらに89年に海軍大臣の下に海軍参謀本部が独立設置され、陸軍参謀本部は参謀本部と改称され陸軍軍令の専掌機関となった。海軍参謀本部は、のちに海軍軍令部から軍令部に改組された。93年の参謀総長の職掌改定により、戦時の軍令は大本営の所掌となった。大本営は日清(にっしん)・日露戦争および支那(しな)事変から太平洋戦争にかけて設けられた。参謀総長の任務は「天皇ニ直隷シ帷幄(いあく)ノ軍務ニ参画シ国防及用兵ニ関スル計画ヲ掌(つかさど)リ参謀本部ヲ統轄ス」るものとされた（明治41年、参謀本部条例）。参謀本部は、1945年に廃止。

［亀野邁夫］

『大江志乃夫著『日本の参謀本部』（岩波新書）』

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