Meiji Japan News Policy Research

At the beginning of the Meiji era, the restriction to newspaper was paid a great attention by the government. Since April, 1868, when Daijoukan declarated that the running of newspaper should get the official permission, till the Newspaper Law came out in 1909, a series of laws on newspaper being through the whole Meiji era, and they were adjusted by the situation of politic, economic and military. At the first, in order to overwhelm the Bakufu supporters not only on military, but also on public opinions, Meiji Government suppressed the newspapers of Bakufu supporters by the official permission. When settled the goal of standing with the western countries, Meiji government encouraged and supported newspaper, with the hope of transmitting the idea of government and promoting the civilization. Then, when the benefit of newspaper being with the politic parties, and becoming the carrier of politic debate or even the politic conflict, Meiji government began to restrict and overwhelmed the newspaper. After that, the policy changed sometime, tighter or looser, but guarding against and reducing the newspaper's obstruction to the government's policy was always being the principle when the Meiji government governing the press.This series of laws on newspaper were the main part of the Meiji government's press policy. At the same time, Meiji government tried to use a clever way to control newspaper, not by the laws. The beginner of establishing the newspaper policy Takayoshi kido raised the trade plot, on appearance the newspaper had no relationship with the government, but actually it worked for the government. In different periods, Meiji government maintains the politics. The government used the method of ordering, secret money or even bribe in order to grow or hook in newspaper, and showing a detached gesture that the government has no relationship with the newspaper. This kind of intervening out of the laws became an important assistance and supplement of the press policy of Meiji government.And, Meiji government used the heartiest and the highest power of the national system to control newspaper. On one way, it used the eighth clause of Constitution which is about emergency decree, and the government had the foundations of the system to make rules above the laws under the name of Emperor to restrict public opinion, on the other hand, the government infused the thought of obeying the Emperor through the Military Decree and Education Rescript, and established the foundations of thought to intervene newspaper above the laws. In the end, the Emperor and the Nationa became the untouchable underline of newspaper. The intervening to newspaper above the laws became the important motive force and reinforcement of Meiji Government press policy.In this way, a series of newspaper laws and the intervening out of the laws or above the laws, constituted the press policy of the Meiji governments. If the laws on newspaper in different period were the body, the intervening out of the laws were the four limbs, because of using the power of Emperor, the intervening above the laws was the heart. The complete press policy was forming in pace with the establishing of the modern Emperor system, and influence the whole modern Japan.