Evening star., 1915-07-11

lieved by the people Of Japan that
the elder statesmen are really more
powerful than the emperor himself.
because the emperor's word, they say.
speak and act through the emperor.
This is hardly exact because, in the
last emergency, the emperor could.
with a syllable. override every other
authority and institution in Japan
Genro. the diet. the constitution. the
people. He Is supreme and in a meas
ure that Is not understood in this
country, not even in autocratic Russia.
declares: 1.-The emperor is sacred and
inviolable." AS matter Of fact: as
well as of Shinto theory and belief. he
is a kami. or god. and is worshiped.
both himself and his divine ances-
tors" But there is not an authentic
record Of any person or power in
Japan defying or refusing to render
obeisance to the elder statesmen. The
emperor asks or is offered their
advice and when it is given the
matter is as good as done with.
In writing Of constitutionalism in
publicist said:
There exists in Japan at the present
time a small coterie of distinguished ID
men, grown gray in the service of the
state. who form a sort of supreme coun-
Gil, and in whose hands the real power
lies"
This "coterie of distinguished men"
is the Genro. or elder statesmen. Our
term. "elder statesmen" does not at
all carry the idea or the meaning OF
the japanese word. The Japanese word
means men who have long and faith
fully served the country; they may be
old in labors, though young in years
The word Genro is used to describe the
emperor's councillors who have been
especially chosen because of their being
wise veterans in his service. When some
of the members of the group were
neither elderly nor statesmen-men, for
instance. like Yamagata and Oyama:
veterans in war and clan intrigue, but
Statesmen" merely by accident and
temporarily.
1t is considered. even by the Japanese.
who take so much for granted when 1t
comes to authority, rather strange that
the Genro were not mentioned or even
recognized by the constitution. or at
least by some law or edict about the
time of the adoption of chartered in
stitutions. But the most influential
body of men in the empire exists and
exercises real and almost limttless
power, without the flmiest shadow OF
authority in law.
The Emperor Meiji. father of the pres
ent emperor and the restorer of the
scepter to the reigning family-having
taken 1t from the feeble grip of the
last of the shoguns. Keiki Tokugawa,
who recently died in Tokio-was very
young and utterly inexperienced when
the full blaze Of imperial authority
was thrust upon him after the half
hearted struggle of the clans devoted
to the shogun. In order both to reward
his ablest counselors and to keep them
about him for future need he formed
this remarkable group Of advisers.
They received whatever authority and
sanction they had from the mere ex-
pressed wish Of the sovereign that they
should permanently remain as his coun-
seloas in all matters of state. They did
not form a cabinet or ministry for privy
council. Japan did not have a ministry
until many years after the restoration
Of 1857, and the emperor has a very
extensive privy council that has no con-
nection whatever with the genro. The
elder statesmen were simply the veter-
ans of the imperial service that the em-
peror still wished to guide him through