174 



T HE Review of Reviews. 



dations of the State, been brought about without 

 hloodslied, and for that very reason it is an example 

 worth following. 



The first act of the Emperor, on ascending the 

 throne in 1868, was to enunciate the fundamental prin- 

 ciples of his government in the form of a solemn oath, 

 which has since then been known as " the Five Articles 

 of the Imperial Oath." The Emperor declared in this 

 oath : — 



1. That deliberative assemblies should beestablished, 



and all measures of government should be 

 decided by public opinion. 



2. That all classes, high and low, should unite in 



vigorously carrying out the plan of the Govern- 

 ment. 



3. Officials, civil and mihtary, and all common people 



should, as far as possible, be allowed to fulfil 

 their just desires, so that there might not be any 

 discontent among them. 



4. Uncivilised customs of former times should be 



broken through, and everything should be based 

 upon the just and equitable principle of nature. 



5. That knowledge should be sought for throughout 



the world, so that the welfare of the Empire 

 might be promoted. 



It is no exaggeration to say that such sentiments 

 were rare in the mouth of any occupant of a European 

 throne in 1868. 



This oath has been made the basis of the national 

 policy. How well the Emperor has kept his oath, and 

 how unswervingly his Government and his people have 

 followed the wish expressed by their sovereign, is shown 

 by the subsequent events of their history. 



And this autocratic monarch, this semi-deity, gave 

 a constitution to his people, not hurriedly and from 

 fear, but after reasoned consideration of the needs of 

 the situation. Nor in granting it did he give too 

 much at once ; he left the future to work out the full 

 measure of the constitution, and in this he was wise 

 beyond the wisdom of the average monarch. To 

 review the early part of his reign we cannot do better 

 than quote the Emperor's own words : — 



" During the twenty and odd years which have 

 elapsed since We assumed the reirrs of government, 

 the feudal policy has been abolished and replaced bv 

 a government of progress, and, having regard to the 

 conditions existing in the outer world, We have entered 

 the route of international intercourse ; but each and 

 every part of the executive body has been framed on 

 the lines bequeathed Us by Our Ancestors, no object 

 being contemplated other than to promote the welfare 

 of Our subjects and to further tlie prosperity of the 

 .State. We established the Diet, trusting that thus 

 by the multitude of counsellors the cardinal work of 

 the nation would be facilitated. The (Constitution is 

 now in the earliest stages of its operation. Circum- 

 spection is essential in the beginning, so that the 

 achievement may be assured in the end. To-day the 

 outlines have to be fixed, so that hereafter the great 



whole may be completed. The force of the progressive 

 movement receives day by day in all countries more 

 and more rapid increase. In such an era as the 

 present any semblance of time squandered in fruitless 

 quarrelling, or any opportunities forfeited for extending 

 the country's prosperity, is a spectacle We have no 

 desire to display to the spirits of Our Ancestors, 

 neither can the fair goal of representati\e institutions 

 be reached by such routes. We entrust to Our 

 Ministers the duty of establishing order in these 

 important matters, and We look with confidence to 

 the chosen representatives of Our people to share the 

 anxiety felt by Us on this subject morning and 

 evening." 



That the principal points of the constitution affecting 

 the sovereign and the liberty of the people arc not 

 such as need alarm the most conservative of monarchs 

 may be judged by the following remarks of Marquis 

 Ito, who was the framer of the Japanese constitution. 

 His most vital comment with regard to the Emperor's 

 position is the following : " The Sacred Throne of 

 Japan is inherited from Imperial ancestors, and it is 

 bequeathed to posterity ; in it resides the power to 

 reign over and go%'ern the State. That express provi- 

 sions concerning the sovereign power are specially 

 mentioned in the articles of the Constitution in no 

 wise implies that any newly-settled opinion thereon 

 is set forth by the Constitution ; on the contrary, 

 the original national policy is by no means changed 

 by it, but it is more strongly confirmed than ever." 



Dealing with the express provisions, he says : " The 

 Emperor is Heaven-descended, divine, sacred ; he is 

 pre-eminent above all his subjects. He must be 

 reverenced and is inviolable. He has, indeed, to pay 

 respect to the law, but the law has no power to 

 hold him accountable to it. Not only shall there 

 be no irreverence for the Emperor's person, but 

 he shall not be made a topic of derogatory comment 

 nor one of discussion. The sovereign power of 

 reigning over and governing the State is inherited by 

 the Emperor from his ancestors, and by him bequeathed 

 to his posterity. All the different legislative, as well 

 as executive, powers of .State, by means of which he 

 reigns over the country and governs the people, are 

 united in this most exalted personage, who thu.< holds 

 in his hands, as it were, all the ramifying threads of 

 the political life of the country. His Imperial Majestv 

 has himself determined a Constitution, and has made 

 it a fundamental law to be observed both by the 

 Sovereign and by the people. 



" The supreme authority in military and naval affairs 

 is vested in His Most Exalted Personage, and *^hese 

 affairs are subject to the commands issued by the 

 Emperor. The organisation and the peace standing 

 of the army and navy are determined by the Emperor. 

 It is true that this power is exercised with the advice 

 of responsible Ministers of State; still, like the 

 Imperial military command, it nevertheless belongs 

 to the sovereign power of the Emperor, and no inter- 



