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Japan: Pre- & Post World War II
Term Paper ID:27850

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Explores the role of the emperor in Japanese society, & the transformation of this role following World War II.... More...

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Paper Abstract:
Explores the role of the emperor in Japanese society, & the transformation of this role following World War II.

Paper Introduction:
The emperor of Japan has fulfilled a number of roles and functions in terms of position in the government and as ceremonial head of the state. The Japanese derived from the Chinese the concept of an all-powerful monarchy and tried early in their history to transform their native, semisacred leader into a secular ruler of the Chinese type. Ever since that time the Japanese emperor has theoretically had the dual nature and functions of a religious leader of the native Shinto cults and the secular monarch of a Chinese-type state. In practice, though, he has rarely operated in the second capacity, and by the seventh century the emperor was already largely a symbol of authority rather than a wielder of personal power (Reischauer, 1988, pp. 44-45).

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The people of Japan continue to revere the emperor and the roleof the emperor, a role quite different from that of monarchies in Europeand other parts of the world, a role embodied in the constitution as wellas in tradition. (1988). The use of the term in this way is unusual, butthe emperor today is neither head of state nor sovereign in the Europeansense, though Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed in 1988 that theemperor was the country's sovereign in the context of foreign relations, acontroversial statement. Japan: A country study. Under thepostwar system, the functions of the emperor are narrow, specific, andlargely ceremonial. (199 ). Amendmentsrequired a two-thirds majority of the Diet before they can be presented tothe people for ratification by referendum. Targeting the emperor. Those functions are confined to such activities asconvening the Diet bestowing decorations on deserving citizens andreceiving foreign ambassadors. 47.Dolan, R. The constitutionality of the emperor's role became a focus of renewedpublic attention once news of Hirohito's illness spread in 1988. The Japanese today. The radicals would like to do away with themonarchy altogether (Deming, Martin, & Takayama, 199 , p. Opposition parties were alsofirm supporters of the constitutional status quo (Dolan & Worden, 199 , pp.3 7-3 8). News ofHirohito's illness was tightly controlled in spite of a general knowledgeof his illness among the press corps and other observers. In practice, though, he has rarelyoperated in the second capacity, and by the seventh century the emperor wasalready largely a symbol of authority rather than a wielder of personalpower (Reischauer, 1988, pp. The Japanese word shocho has been used with reference to the emperor,and the word means symbol. Laws related to the imperial house have to beapproved by the Diet. 44-45). The constitutionsays that the emperor derives his position from the will of the people andthat sovereign power rests with the people. 3 8). A precursor of this change can be seen in 1946 whenMacArthur renounced the divinity of the emperor. Some thought that this would end thecontroversy over the imperial traditions of Japan, but this was not thecase. Emperor Hirohito thenstated that relations between the ruler and his people could not be basedon the false idea that the emperor is divine or that the Japanese weresuperior to other races. However,in practice the agency in the early 199 s remained a bastion ofconservatism as its officials shrouded the activities of the emperor andhis family behind a "chrysanthemum curtain" to maintain an aura of sanctity(Dolan & Worden, 199 , pp. Radicals charge that theimperial system incites ethnic and class discrimination and could encouragea revival of Japanese militarism, and the largest and most active of thesegroups rejects the current view that the emperor is only a nonpolitical"decoration." Instead, says the organization, the coming collapse of bothcommunism and capitalism will force Japan to tighten its economic lock onneighboring countries. The Imperial House under the old system was separatefrom and equal with the constitution, but after the war, the imperialfamily's extensive estates were confiscated and is finances placed underthe control of the Imperial Household Agency, part of the Office of PrimeMinister and thus theoretically subject to the rule of the diet. The emperor of Japan has fulfilled a number of roles and functions interms of position in the government and as ceremonial head of the state.The Japanese derived from the Chinese the concept of an all-powerfulmonarchy and tried early in their history to transform their native,semisacred leader into a secular ruler of the Chinese type. Otherwise, he does not possess powersrelated to the government. The reason for the change in the status of theemperor was intended to preclude the possibility of military orbureaucratic cliques exercising broad and irresponsible powers in the nameof the emperor, which had been a feature of extremism in the 193 s.According to the constitution, the Diet is the highest organ of state powerand is accountable not to the monarch but to the people who elected itsmembers (Dolan & Worden, 199 , p. In the new constitution, the emperor was"humanized" in the working of the document, and the rule is described asthe symbol of the state and of the unity of the people. Ever sincethat time the Japanese emperor has theoretically had the dual nature andfunctions of a religious leader of the native Shinto cults and the secularmonarch of a Chinese-type state. The postwar constitution was developed in the way it was through theefforts of MacArthur, who would not have shaped the constitution in thisfashion if he had listened to Japanese politicians and constitutionalexperts who wanted to eliminate the foreign elements in the new document.After 1952, conservatives and nationalists tried to revise the constitutionto make it more Japanese, but such efforts were frustrated for a number ofreasons, including the difficulty involved in amending it. With the deathof Hirohito, Crown Prince Akihito became the first person to ascend thethrone in the postwar era (Dolan & Worden, 199 , p. (199 , November 12). 3 9-31 ). 31 ). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.Reischauer, E. After WorldWar II, the new constitution redefined the political role of the emperor toa great degree. The role of the emperor remains largely ceremonial today, and thesame attempts to shroud the office and the life of the emperor in secrecycontinue. ReferencesDeming, A., Martin, B., & Takayama, H. The emperor also does not have an officialpriestly or religious role. Emperor Hirohito died in 1989. O. Rightists and leftists have continued battling over the power of theemperor and his role in Japanese society. In the 1889 constitution, theauthority of the emperor as sovereign was broad and undefined. L. In the Meiji constitution in the nineteenth century, the emperor'srole was sovereign and the locus of the state's legitimacy. 47). Newsweek, p. E., & Worden, R. He continues to perform the ancient rituals,such as ceremonial planting of the rice crop in the spring, but he does soin a private capacity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

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