Ministries of Japan
Encyclopedia
The most influential part of the executive
of the Japanese government
are the ministries
. In postwar politics, the posts of ministers have been given to senior legislators, mostly of the LDP
. However, few ministers have been serving their terms for more than one or two years, and developed the necessary grisp of the organisation to become really influential. Thus, most of the power lies within the ministries, with the senior bureaucrats.
is responsible for handling the day to day affairs of the cabinet. It consists of:
in 2001, many Ministries are reformed.
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
of the Japanese government
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
are the ministries
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
. In postwar politics, the posts of ministers have been given to senior legislators, mostly of the LDP
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
. However, few ministers have been serving their terms for more than one or two years, and developed the necessary grisp of the organisation to become really influential. Thus, most of the power lies within the ministries, with the senior bureaucrats.
List of ministries
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
- Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission
- Fire and Disaster Management Agency
- Ministry of JusticeMinistry of Justice (Japan)The is one of Ministries of the Japanese government.-Meiji Constitution:The Ministry of Justice was established under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1871 as the .-Constitution of Japan:...
- Public Security Examination Commission
- Public Security Intelligence AgencyPublic Security Intelligence AgencyThe is the national intelligence agency of Japan. It is administered by the Ministry of Justice in the government of Japan, and is tasked with internal security and espionage against threats to Japanese national security based on the Subversive Activities Prevention Act.As the national agency with...
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
- Ministry of FinanceMinistry of Finance (Japan)The ' is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. The ministry was once named Ōkura-shō . The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Finance , who is a member of the Cabinet and is typically chosen from members of the Diet by the Prime Minister.The Ministry's origin was back in...
- National Tax AgencyNational Tax AgencyThe is the official tax collecting agency of Japan and a government ministry. As of 2008, its Commissioner was Michito Ishii.-External links:...
- National Tax Agency
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and TechnologyMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....
(MEXT)- Agency for Cultural AffairsAgency for Cultural AffairsThe is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education . It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. As of April 2007, it is led by the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Tamotsu Aoki....
- Agency for Cultural Affairs
- Ministry of Health, Labour and WelfareMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
- Social Insurance AgencySocial Insurance AgencyThe was an agency administered by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. After a scandal involving millions of lost pension records, on January 1, 2010 it was abolished and replaced by the Japan Pension Service...
- Central Labour Relations Commission
- Social Insurance Agency
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)The ' a cabinet ministry in the government of Japan responsible for oversight of the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries. Its acronym is MAFF.-History:...
- Fisheries Agency
- Forestry Agency
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and IndustryMinistry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)The or METI, is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic activities, such as the Economic Planning Agency.METI, which used to be...
(METI)- Agency for Natural Resources and EnergyAgency for Natural Resources and EnergyThe Agency for Natural Resources and Energy is an agency of Japan' Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and is responsible for Japan's policies in regard to energy and natural resources....
- Small and Medium Enterprise Agency
- Patent OfficeJapan Patent OfficeThe Japan Patent Office is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of industrial property right affairs, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry...
- Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)
- Japan Transport Safety BoardJapan Transport Safety Boardis Japan's authority for establishing transportation safety. It is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.The agency began on October 1, 2008 as a merger between the Japan Marine Accident Inquiry Agency and the Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation...
- Japan Tourism AgencyJapan Tourism AgencyThe , abbreviated JTA, is an organization which was set up on October 1, 2008 as an extra-ministerial bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.- Background of establishment :...
- Japan Meteorological AgencyJapan Meteorological AgencyThe or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
- Japan Coast GuardJapan Coast GuardThe , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
- Japan Transport Safety Board
- Ministry of the EnvironmentMinistry of the Environment (Japan)The ' of Japan was formed in 2001 from the sub-cabinet level Environmental Agency established in 1971. The minister is a member of the Cabinet and is chosen by the Prime Minister, usually from the Diet., the current is Goshi Hosono...
- Ministry of DefenseJapan Defense AgencyThe is a cabinet-level ministry of the Japanese government. As a result of a law enacted on December 15, 2006, it became a ministry on January 9, 2007. Prior to that, it was the Japan Defense Agency ...
- Self Defense Forces
- Defense Facilities Administration Agency
Cabinet Office
Cabinet OfficeCabinet Office (Japan)
is an agency in the Cabinet of Japan. It is responsible for handling the day to day affairs of the cabinet. The Cabinet Office is formally headed by the Prime Minister. There are usually three Vice Ministers and three Parliamentary Secretaries in the Cabinet Office.-Organization:-External...
is responsible for handling the day to day affairs of the cabinet. It consists of:
- National Public Safety CommissionNational Public Safety Commission (Japan)The is a Japanese Cabinet Office commission. It is headquartered in the 2nd Building of the Central Common Government Office at 2-1-2 Kasumigasaeki in Chiyoda, Tokyo....
- National Police AgencyNational Police Agency (Japan)The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
- National Police Agency
- Financial Services AgencyFinancial Services AgencyThe is a Japanese government organization responsible for overseeing banking, securities and exchange, and insurance in order to ensure the stability of the financial system of Japan. The agency operates with a commissioner and reports to the Minister of Finance. It oversees the Securities and...
- Fair Trade CommissionFair Trade Commission (Japan)The is a commission in the Japanese government responsible for enforcing Antimonopoly Act. The commission is commonly known as Kōtori or Kōtorii .As of 2010, the chairman is Kazuhiko Takeshima....
Before 2001
- Home MinistryHome Ministry (Japan)The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
(abolished in 1947) - Ministry of WarMinistry of War of JapanThe , more popularly known as the Ministry of War of Japan, was cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army...
(abolished in 1945) - Ministry of the NavyMinistry of the Navy of JapanThe was a cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It existed from 1872 to 1945.-History:...
(abolished in 1945) - Ministry of Colonial AffairsMinistry of Colonial AffairsThe was a cabinet-level ministry in the government of the Empire of Japan from 1923-1942.-History:The original Ministry of Colonial Affairs was the short-lived Hokkaidō Colonization Office, established in the early Meiji period by Prime Minister Kuroda Kiyotaka to protect Japan's sparely populated...
(abolished in 1942) - Ministry of Greater East Asia (abolished in 1945)
2001 Central Government Reform
As a result of the Central Government Reform2001 Central Government Reform
The by the Japanese government involved the establishment of a new ministry, the merging of existing ministries and the abolition of others. This resulted in little more than a change of ministry names .-External links:*...
in 2001, many Ministries are reformed.
- Ministry of International Trade and IndustryMinistry of International Trade and IndustryThe Ministry of International Trade and Industry was one of the most powerful agencies of the Government of Japan. At the height of its influence, it effectively ran much of Japanese industrial policy, funding research and directing investment...
(MITI) (merged into Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry ) - Ministry of Construction (merged into Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport )
- Ministry of Transport (merged into Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport )
- Ministry of Home AffairsMinistry of Home Affairs (Japan)was a ministry in the Japanese government that existed from July 1, 1960 to January 5, 2001 and is now part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The head of the ministry was a member of a cabinet....
(merged into Ministry of Internal Affairs and CommunicationsMinistry of Internal Affairs and CommunicationsThe ' or Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. The English name Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications was used prior to 2004...
) - Ministry of Posts and TelecommunicationsMinistry of Posts and Telecommunications (Japan)The was one of the ministries in the Japanese government. In 2001, the ministry was merged with other ministries to form the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications....
(divided into Ministry of Internal Affairs and CommunicationsMinistry of Internal Affairs and CommunicationsThe ' or Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. The English name Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications was used prior to 2004...
and Japan PostJapan Postwas a government-owned corporation in Japan, that existed from 2003–2007, offering postal and package delivery services, banking services, and life insurance. It had over 400,000 employees and ran 24,700 post offices throughout Japan and was the nation's largest employer. One third of all Japanese...
) - Ministry of Education (merged into Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and TechnologyMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....
) - Ministry of Health and Welfare (merged into Ministry of Health, Labour and WelfareMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
) - Ministry of Labor (merged into Ministry of Health, Labour and WelfareMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...
)
List of ministers
- Minister of Internal Affairs and CommunicationsMinister of Internal Affairs and Communications (Japan)The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Internal Affairs and Communications. The post has been held by Tatsuo Kawabata since 2 September 2011.-Ministers of Internal Affairs and Communications:...
(総務大臣). - Minister of JusticeMinister of Justice (Japan)The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of Justice. The post has been held by Hideo Hiraoka since 2 September 2011.- Ministers of Justice :...
(法務大臣) - Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Measures for Declining Birthrate (内閣府特命担当大臣- 青少年育成及び少子化対策)
- Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...
(外務大臣) - Minister of FinanceMinister of Finance (Japan)The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of Finance. This position was formerly cited as being Japan's most powerful and one of the world's, because Japan had historically held the largest foreign exchange reserves...
(財務大臣) - Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (文部教育大臣)
- Minister of Health, Labour and WelfareMinister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As of 2 September 2011, the current minister is Yoko Komiyama.-References:...
(厚生労働大臣) - Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesMinister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The current minister is Michihiko Kano.-Role:...
(農林水産大臣) - Minister of Economy, Trade and IndustryMinister of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)The is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry . The current Minister is Banri Kaieda.-List of Ministers of Economy, Trade and Industry:...
(経済産業大臣) - Minister of Land, Infrastructure and TransportMinister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan)The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Takeshi Maeda is the current minister.-External links:*...
(国土交通大臣) - Minister of the EnvironmentMinister of the Environment (Japan)The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of the Environment. The post has been held by Goshi Hosono since 2 September 2011.- Minister of the Environment :...
(環境大臣) - Minister of DefenseMinister of Defense (Japan)The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Defense, formerly known as the Defence Agency before 2007. The current Japanese Minister of Defense is Yasuo Ichikawa, a member of the DPJ. Yasuo Ichikawa has been the Minister of Defense since 2 September 2011...
(防衛大臣) - Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs (内閣府特命担当大臣- 沖縄及び北方対策)
- Chief Cabinet Secretary (内閣官房長官)
- Minister of State for Gender Equality (内閣府特命担当大臣: 男女共同参画)
- Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission (国家公安委員会委員長)
- Minister of State for Disaster Management (内閣府特命担当大臣- 防災)
- Minister of State for National Emergency Legislation (内閣府特命担当大臣- 有事法制担当)
- Minister of State for Financial Policy (内閣府特命担当大臣- 金融)
- Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy (内閣府特命担当大臣- 経済財政政策)
- Minister of State for Privatization of the Postal Services (内閣府特命担当大臣- 郵政民営化担当)
- Minister of State for Regulatory Reform (内閣府特命担当大臣- 規制改革)
- Minister of State for Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan (内閣府特命担当大臣- 産業再生機構)
- Minister of State for Administrative Reform (内閣府特命担当大臣- 行政改革担当)
- Minister of State for Special Zones for Structural Reform (内閣府特命担当大臣- 構造改革特区)
- Minister of State for Regional Revitalization (内閣府特命担当大臣- 地域再生担当)
- Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy (内閣府特命担当大臣- 科学技術政策)
- Minister of State for Food Safety (内閣府特命担当大臣- 食品安全)
- Minister of State for Information Technology (内閣府特命担当大臣- 情報通信技術（IT）担当)