Imperial Household Budget

Under the Meiji Constitution, the Imperial Household budget was treated as Imperial Household expenses, separate from the national budget. Although funded by the national treasury, these expenses did not require approval by the Imperial Diet. Under Article 66 of the Meiji Constitution, Imperial Household expenses were classified as fixed expenditures exempt from parliamentary approval, and were supported by an independent financial system funded through revenues from Imperial Household property, including imperial estates (goryōchi), together with fixed allocations from the national treasury. This system was intended to provide a stable economic foundation for the Emperor’s sovereign authority, free from parliamentary intervention. After World War II, under Article 88 of the Constitution of Japan, all property of the Imperial Household was vested in the state, and all Imperial Household expenses became public expenditures subject to approval by the National Diet.