Former Privy Council Building
旧枢密院庁舎
The former Privy Council Building within the Imperial Palace grounds housed Japan's supreme advisory body to the Emperor (1888–1947). The Privy Council deliberated on and passed the declaration of war against the United States and Britain on December 8, 1941, and approved other critical wartime national policies. The Neo-Renaissance building, completed in 1921, now serves as the Imperial Guard Headquarters.
Images
History
The Former Privy Council Building (旧枢密院庁舎) stands within the Imperial Palace grounds in Chiyoda, Tokyo. This Neo-Renaissance reinforced concrete two-story structure was completed in November 1921 (Taishō 10) and features four ancient Greek-style columns at its symmetrical facade. It served as the model for the design of Japan's National Diet Building.
The Privy Council (枢密院, Sūmitsuin) was established in 1888 (Meiji 21) by Emperor Meiji, originally to deliberate on the draft of the Meiji Constitution. Its first president was Itō Hirobumi. Under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, the Privy Council served as the Emperor's supreme advisory body, deliberating on constitutional interpretation, amendments to the Constitution and Imperial Household Law, treaties, emergency imperial ordinances, declarations of martial law, and declarations of war.
The Council played a pivotal role in Japan's path to war. Privy Council President Yoshimichi Hara took part in the Imperial Conference of December 1, 1941, which decided on war against the United States and Great Britain; the Privy Council itself met on December 8, 1941 — the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor — to deliberate and approve the declaration of war. Throughout the war years, the Council approved critical wartime national policies, emergency legislation, and treaties including the Tripartite Pact. However, following the Manchurian Incident of 1931 and the subsequent rise of military dominance in politics, the Council's actual influence had been progressively diminished.
The building survived the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 without damage and emerged unscathed from the air raids of World War II. After the Privy Council was abolished on May 2, 1947 — the day before the new Constitution of Japan took effect — the building passed to the Cabinet Secretariat and was used, among other purposes, as premises of the Supreme Court. From 1962 to 1984, it was used as the Imperial Guard Headquarters (皇宮警察本部). It then stood vacant until extensive renovation work began in 2006, costing approximately 555 million yen. The restoration was completed in 2012, and the building was returned to service as the Imperial Guard Headquarters in 2013, reviving it after 29 years of disuse.