New History Textbook (Chapter 4 & 5) 2005 version - Bakumatsu Films

56 The Meiji Constitution
Describe the gist of the Meiji Constitution. How was it received by the rest of the world?
Promulgation of the Meiji Constitution
On February 11, 1889, Japan’s first Constitution was adopted. Snow had been falling since the
evening of the 10th, enveloping all of Tokyo in a silvery blanket. The city was in a festive mood.
There was celebratory gunfire, costumed revelers parading, and floats snaking their way through
the streets.
The Constitution placed the Emperor as the nation’s unifying figure. Day-to-day political activities
would be performed in accordance with advice from cabinet ministers, since the Emperor would
not bear political responsibility. The people’s rights were guaranteed within the boundaries of the
law, and they would enjoy the privilege of electing the members of the Lower House. Approval of
parliament (called the Diet) was required for the enactment of legislation and budgets. In addition
to the Lower House, there was a House of Peers, whose members were nobles, distinguished
scholars and former bureaucrats.
Lower House Elections and the Imperial Diet
The next year (1890) marked the first Lower House election and the first session of the Imperial
Diet opened. Japan was now a constitutional nation, the first nation in Asia to hold such a status in
an age when the conventional wisdom was that only Western nations were capable of such a feat.
Promulgation of the Imperial Rescript on Education
Before the Diet met for the first time, in 1890, the Imperial Rescript on Education was
promulgated. The Rescript is a set of teachings that sets forth guiding principles for Japanese
citizens. It instructs them to show affection and respect to their parents and ancestors, cultivate a
thirst for learning, and to serve the nation when emergencies arise. The Rescript, which was used at
every school in Japan until the end of World War II (1945), was largely responsible for forming the
moral fiber of the modern Japanese citizen.
Meiji Constitution Lauded at Home and Abroad
When the Meiji Constitution was promulgated, even Japan’s newspapers, which had been
consistently critical of the government, heaped praise on it, describing it as a fine Constitution, one
far better than expected.
The Constitution was translated and disseminated to the nations of the world. One British
newspaper wrote that it was nothing short of a miracle that a parliamentary Constitution had come
into being after much careful preparation, and called it a grand endeavor. A British scholar was
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