Government of Meiji Japan - Early Developments

Early Developments

After the Meiji restoration, the leaders of the samurai who overthrew the Tokugawa Shogun had no clear agenda or pre-developed plan on how to run Japan. They did have a number of things in common – most were in their mid-30s, and most were from the four tozama domains of western Japan (Chōshū, Satsuma, Tosa and Hizen). Although from lower-ranked samurai families, they had risen to military leadership roles in their respective domains, and came from a Confucian-based educational background which stressed loyalty and service to society. Finally, most either had first-hand experience in travel overseas, or second-hand experience through contacts with foreign advisors in Japan. As a result, they knew of the military superiority of the western nations and of the need for Japan to unify, and to strengthen itself to avoid the colonial fate of its neighbors on the Asian continent.

However, in 1867, the country was largely a collection of semi-independent feudal domains held together by the military strength of the Satchō Alliance, and by the prestige of the Imperial Court.

In early March 1868, while the outcome of the Boshin War was still uncertain, the new Meiji government summoned delegates from all of the domains to Kyoto to establish a provisional consultative national assembly. In April 1868, the Charter Oath was promulgated, in which Emperor Meiji set out the broad general outlines for Japan's development and modernization.

Two months later, in June 1868, the Seitaisho was promulgated to establish the new administrative basis for the Meiji government. This administrative code was drafted by Fukuoka Takachika and Soejima Taneomi (both of whom had studied abroad and who had a liberal political outlook), and was a strange mixture of western concepts such as division of powers, and a revival of ancient structures of bureaucracy dating back to Nara period Japan. A central governmental structure, or Daijōkan, was established.

The Daijōkan had seven departments:

• Legislative (divided into an Upper Assembly of appointed bureaucrats, and a Lower Assembly of domain representatives)
• Executive
• Shinto
• Finance
• Military
• Foreign Affairs
• Civil Affairs

A separate Justice Ministry was established to create a form of separation of powers in imitation of the western countries.

In the meantime, local administration consisted of territory confiscated from the Tokugawa, which was divided into prefectures (ken) and municipalities (fu) administered from the Department of Civil Affairs, and the 273 semi-independent domains. Agents from the central government were sent to each of the domains to work towards administrative uniformity and conformation to the directives of the central government.

In early 1869, the national capital was transferred from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital).