Such is the political organism of Japan. My description, however, is
only the merest skeleton of it. That such a skeleton should be endowed
with the proper spirit requires that the whole nation from the sovereign
down to the lowest member of the community should be animated by
sincerity and loyalty and supported by a liberal and tolerant régime.
That Japan is doing her best in those respects, I can only ask my
readers to infer from their own observation of the admitted progress
that she has been fortunate enough to accomplish so far.
I may, however, explain some of the more important points bearing on
the question. The emperor is extremely popular amongst his people at
large. I may say that it is not mere popularity in the ordinary sense of
the word, but a popularity which is more of the nature of reverence.
This reverence for the emperor on the part of the people is manifested
in their extreme loyalty. On the other hand, the emperor has not the
least inclination to take advantage of it and abuse it for selfish
purposes. His majesty entertains the keenest sense of duty in regard to
his position, not as a person privileged to do whatever he may choose,
but rather as a person to whom is intrusted the great task of taking
care of the people over whom he reigns. Thus there exist between the
sovereign and his subjects mutual confidence and love, which cannot fail
to prove the greatest blessing to the country in any hour of national
emergency.
As to the position of the Diet versus the Government, party landmarks
are not so strong in Japan as among most of the Western nations. True it
is that in Japan also there are several political parties, but the
Government is not 'a party government' as it is in England or America.
In that respect the Government of Japan most resembles that of Germany.
According to the constitution, the Ministers of State are responsible
only to the Emperor, but every practical statesman knows that no
government can be satisfactorily carried on without concurrence of the
Diet so long as there is such a body, and therefore in Japan, also,
every Ministry has to do its best to count on such good relations with
the parties as it can secure; but, nevertheless, party feeling does not
run so high, and party struggles are not so severe as to make the
formation of a Cabinet depend on party issues.
The cause of all this is plain so far as we are concerned. The emperor
does not interfere with politics, but when at the hour of supreme
necessity he manifests his will, his subjects, one and all,
instantaneously obey it, and rally around the throne, forgetting for the
time being any differences of personal opinion. It was so at the time of
the Sino-Japanese war, and again in the Russo-Japanese war. This state
of things is due, amongst others, to the liberal administration of the
Imperial régime. The press, speech, and right of meeting are for all
practical purposes entirely free. Personal freedom is guaranteed by the
constitution. Taxes are levied, but no abuse of authority is known. The
people at large have no real grounds of complaint or grievance against
the Government as such, and have absolutely none against the Emperor.
Moreover, Japan knows no difficulty in matters of religion, and
consequently no party based upon religious notions exists to give
trouble to Government. If this or that section of the people has any
disputes with the Government or between themselves, those are
essentially questions of some temporary and passing character. Hence in
Japan it is not a difficult matter for the people at large to unite
themselves under a common national policy in a time of national
emergency.