Imperial Household Agency


The Imperial Household Agency is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD until the Second World War, it was known as the Ministry of the Imperial Household.
The Agency is unique among conventional government agencies and ministries in that it does not directly report to the Prime Minister at the cabinet level.
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Organization and functions

The Imperial Household Agency is headed by the Grand Steward, assisted by the Vice Grand Steward, appointed by the Cabinet. Its main organizational positions are:
The current Grand Steward is Yasuhiko Nishimura.
The Agency's headquarters is located in the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The Agency's duties and responsibilities encompass the daily activities of the Imperial household, such as state visits, organised events, preservation of traditional culture and administrative functions, amongst other responsibilities. The Agency is responsible for the various Imperial residences located throughout Japan, and organises guided tours for visitors to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Katsura Detached Palace, and other residences and locations falling under its remit.
The Agency is responsible for the health, security and travel arrangements of the Imperial family, including maintaining the Imperial line. The Board of the Chamberlains, headed by the Grand Chamberlain, manages the daily life of the Emperor and the Empress, and is responsible for keeping the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. The Grand Master of the Crown Prince's Household helps manage the schedules, dining menus, and household maintenance of the Crown Prince and his family.

History

The Imperial Household Agency traces its origins back to institutions established by the Taihō Code promulgated in 701–702 AD. The Ritsuryō system established the namesake Ministry of the Imperial Household, a precursor to the present agency; the former code also gave rise to the Ministry of Ceremonial, which has its legacy in the Board of Ceremonies under the current agency, and the Ministry of Civil Administration which oversaw the Bureau of Music that would now correspond to the Agency's Music Department. The basic structures remained in place until the Meiji Restoration.

Meiji period

The early Meiji government officially installed the Imperial Household Ministry on 15 August 1869. Though the names are occasionally differentiated in English as the "Imperial Household Agency", versus the former, Meiji period "Ministry of the Imperial Household", both names are rendered with no differentiation in Japanese. However, there is a convoluted history of reorganization around how the government bodies that correspond to constituent subdivisions of the current Agency were formed or empowered during this period.
The Department of Shinto Affairs and later the Ministry of Divinities were briefly established, having been placed in charge of, for example, the under the Office of Imperial Mausolea, one of the tasks designated to the Agency today.
Meanwhile, the Meiji government created the Board of Ceremonies in 1871, which was soon renamed Bureau of Ceremonies in 1872. Also in 1872, the Ministry of Divinities was abolished, with the bulk of duties moved to the Ministry of Religion and the administration of formal ceremonial functions transferred to the aforementioned Board/Bureau of the Ceremonies.
The Bureau of the Ceremonies was initially placed under the care of the Great Council of State, but was later transferred to the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in September 1877. The Bureau underwent yet another name change to Board of Ceremonies in October 1884. Since then, the name has remained unchanged and is, today, headed by the Master of Ceremonies.
An Imperial Order in 1908 confirmed that the Imperial Household Minister, as the chief official was then called, held responsible for assisting the Emperor in all matters concerning the Imperial House. The ministry also oversaw the official appointments of Imperial Household Artists and commissioned their work.

Imperial Household Office, 1947–1949

The Imperial Household Office, a downgraded version of the ministry, was created pursuant to Imperial Household Office Law Law No. 70 of 1947 during the American Occupation of Japan. Its number of staff was downscaled from 6,200 to less than 1,500, and the Office was placed under the Prime Minister of Japan.

Imperial Household Agency, 1949–present

In 1949, Imperial Household Office was renamed to the Imperial Household Agency, and placed under the fold of the newly created Prime Minister's Office, as an external agency attached to it. In 2001, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the Cabinet Office.

Criticism

The Agency has been criticized for isolating members of the Imperial Family from the Japanese public, and for insisting on stiffly preserved customs, rather than permitting a more approachable, populist monarchy.
In May 2004, Crown Prince Naruhito criticised the then-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household, Toshio Yuasa, for putting pressure on Crown Princess Masako, Naruhito's wife, to bear a male child. At a press conference, Naruhito stated that his wife had "completely exhausted herself" trying to adapt to the Imperial family's life, and added "there were developments that denied Masako's career as well as her personality." It has officially been stated that Masako is suffering from an "adjustment disorder", but there has been extensive speculation in the press that she is suffering from clinical depression as a result of her treatment by Imperial Household officials.
Increasingly in recent years, the Agency's prevention of archaeological research regarding a large number of Kofun Period tombs claimed to be and designated as "Imperial" has come under criticism from academics. The tombs, located in the Kansai region of western Japan, are considered by many academics as potentially holding important historical information on the origins of Japanese civilization; however, the possibility that these potential finds could verify or further solidify theories of formative civilizational ties with contemporary civilizations in China and the Korean Peninsula, with these civilizations potentially having as much influence on the origins of the Imperial Household itself, is generally considered to be a considerable contributing factor to the ongoing prevention of archaeological research at these sites by the Imperial Household Agency, with a large number of the tombs considered by some to be imperial only in name.

Grand Stewards

The Imperial Household Agency is headed by the Grand Steward, whose appointment or dismissal is subject to the Emperor's approval.
The Grand Steward is vested with comprehensive control over administrative activities within the Agency, and supervisory authority over the service performance of the staff. He is empowered to interact with the Prime Minister on matters pertaining to the Agency's authorized duties, either requesting the issuance of Cabinet Office ordinances, or notifying him on pertinent matters. He has the authorization to hand down orders or directives to staff members of government organs under the agency's direct control, and may request the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency to take appropriate measures regarding administrative duties that involve the civilian Imperial Guard #Imperial Guard of the National Police Agency.
The Grand Stewardship is a post customarily filled by former at one of several internal affairs type ministries and agencies, or someone with a closely approximating, after having served as Vice-Grand Steward.