Home Ministry (Japan) - History

History

After the Meiji Restoration, the Home Ministry was established as government department in November 1873, initially as an internal security agency to deal with possible threats to the government from disgruntled ex-samurai. Under the organization of the Meiji government, prefectural governors were appointed by the central government, and came under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry.

Until the establishment of the first cabinet government of Japan, the head of the Home Ministry was referred to as the "Home Lord" and functioned as the Head of Government.

Ōkubo Toshimichi was the first Head of the Home Ministry as Home Lord. When Yamagata Aritomo became the first Minister for Home Affairs, he organized the Ministry into sections responsible for general administration, local administration, police, public works, public health, postal administration, topographic surveys, religious institutions and the national census. The administration of Hokkaidō and Karafuto Prefectures also fell under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry.

The Home Ministry also initially had the responsibility for promoting local industry, but this duty was taken over by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce in 1881. In 1890, the Railroad Ministry and in 1892, the Communications Ministry were created, removing these functions from the Home Ministry. The public health functions were separated into the Ministry of Health in 1938.

On the other hand, with the establishment of State Shinto, a Department of Religious Affairs was added to the Home Ministry in 1900. Following the High Treason Incident, the Tokko special police force was also created in 1911.

Through the passage of the Peace Preservation Laws, the Home Ministry was able to use its security apparatus to suppress political dissent and the curtail the activities of the socialists, communists and the labor movement.

The Recreation and Amusement Association was created on August 28, 1945 by the Japanese Home Ministry and a civilian organization through joint capital investment (50 million yen each), officially to contain the sexual urges of the occupation forces, protect the main Japanese populace from rape and preserve the "purity" of the "Japanese race". The official declaration of 19 August 1945 stated that "Through the sacrifice of thousands of "Okichis" of the Shōwa period, we shall construct a dike to hold back the mad frenzy of the occupation troops and cultivate and preserve the purity of our race long into the future..." The RAA's own slogan was "For the country, a sexual breakwater to protect Japanese women" (お国のために日本女性を守る性の防波堤?).

After World War II, in October 1945, the scope of activities of the Home Ministry were severely limited by the American Occupation authorities. The American authorities felt that the concentration of power into a single ministry was both a cause and a symptom of Japan's pre-war totalitarian mentality, and also felt that the centralization of police authority into a massive centrally controlled ministry was dangerous for the democratic development of post-war Japan.

The Home Ministry was formally abolished on 31 December 1947, and its functions dispersed to the Ministry of Home Affairs (自治省 Jiji-shō), now the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Health and Welfare (厚生省 Kōsei-shō),now the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, National Public Safety Commission(国家公安委員会 Kokka-kōan-iinkai), Ministry of Construction (建設省 Kensetsu-shō), now Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.,