Dajokan - Dajokan

Japanese: 太政官 - だじょうかん

(1) One of the two offices at the center of the Ritsuryo government system, along with the Jingikan. It was pronounced "Daijokan." Its duties were to maintain discipline and govern the country. The Dajokan, the Sadaijin, and the Udaijin were the chief ministers, the Dainagon was the vice minister, and under them were the Saebenkan Bureau and the Shonagon Bureau. The affairs of the Dajokan were divided among the Sadaijin and below, and the Saebenkan Bureau was established to implement imperial edicts, to which the Shonagon Bureau was added to review and report them. The Sabenkan Bureau was in charge of the four ministries of Central Affairs, Ceremonies, Civil Affairs, and Minbu, while the Ubenkan Bureau was in charge of the four ministries of War, Criminal Affairs, Treasury, and the Imperial Household. The Shonagon Bureau was in charge of the Gaiki Bureau and was in charge of issuing imperial edicts, internal seals, and external seals. In the Heian period, real power was transferred to the Sessho and Kanpaku, who were separate entities from the Dajokan, and they were nominally ineffective.

(2) A system different from the Ritsuryo system adopted after the Meiji Restoration. A government document dated April 21, 1868 (intercalary month), was published on the 27th of the same month, stipulating that "all power under the nation shall be vested in the Dajokan." The Dajokan, the overall governing body, was divided into three bodies: legislative (council of councilors), administrative (administrative officials, Shinto affairs, accounting, affairs, and foreign affairs officials), and judicial (penal law officials), and was based on the principle of separation of powers. On July 8, 1869 (Meiji 2), the government system was reformed to two offices (Shinto affairs and Dajokan) and six ministries, and the Dajokan was made up of the left and right ministers, the chief counselor, and councilors, who assisted the emperor and handled all aspects of national affairs. In 1864, the Dajokan system was revised to divide the Dajokan into the Seiin, Sain, and Uin, and eight ministries were placed under them. As a result of the Osaka Conference of 1875, the House of Left and the House of Right were abolished and the House of Councillors and the House of Daishin'in were established, with the House of Left and the House of Right as the legislative body and the House of Daishin'in as the highest judicial body, and the separation of powers was almost complete. However, the House of Councillors was still superior to the other administrative bodies, as seen in the fact that the House of Councillors was not allowed to initiate bills and in the system of coronial review (the House of Councillors only reviewed bills for cabinet amendments in a formal manner and had no right to amend them). Two years later, the House of Councillors was also abolished. In 1881, the Council of Councillors was established within the Dajokan in preparation for a constitutional government. The term "cabinet" was used in the government system from May 1873 onwards, but in 1885 the Dajokan system was abolished and a new cabinet system was established.

Dajokan (Grand Council of State)

Please see the "Dajokan" page.

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

Japanese:

(1) 律令官制の中心で神祇官と並ぶ二官の一つ。「だいじょうかん」と読まれた。その任務は綱紀を惣持し，邦国を治むるにありとされた。太政大臣，左大臣，右大臣を長官，大納言を次官とし，そのもとに左右弁官局と少納言局がある。太政官の事務を分掌するのは左大臣以下で，詔勅の施行を司る左右弁官局を設け，これに詔勅の審査覆奏を司る少納言局を付設した。左弁官局は中務，式部，治部，民部の4省を，右弁官局は兵部，刑部，大蔵，宮内の4省を管した。少納言局は外記局を管轄し，詔勅宣下，内印，外印のことを司った。平安時代になると，その実権は太政大臣から分化した摂政，関白に移り，有名無実化された。

(2) 明治維新後にとられた，律令制とは異なる体制。慶応4 (1868) 年閏4月 21日付政体書が同 27日頒行され，「天下の権力すべてこれを太政官に帰す」と定められた。統治機構の総体である太政官は，立法 (議政官) ，行政 (行政官および神祇，会計，事務，外国官) ，司法 (刑法官) の3機関に分れ，三権分立のたてまえをとった。翌明治2 (69) 年7月8日官制の改革が行われて2官 (神祇官，太政官) 6省となり，太政官には左右大臣，大納言，参議がおかれ，天皇を補佐し，国政全般にあたった。同4年太政官制を改めて太政官を正院，左院，右院に分け，その下に8省をおいた。 1875年大阪会議の結果，左院，右院が廃止されて元老院，大審院が設置され，元老院は立法機関，大審院は最高の司法機関となって三権分立がほぼ整ったが，元老院に議案発議権が認められなかったことや検視の制 (内閣修正の議案についてはただ形式的に審査し，元老院に修正権がない) などにみられるような行政機関の優位がみられた。さらに2年後には正院も廃止された。 81年，立憲政体への準備として太政官中に参事院が設けられた。内閣という呼称は 73年5月以後官制上用いられたが，85年太政官制度は廃止され，新しい内閣制度が創設された。