（Law No.120 of 1948, as originally enacted）

Article 2. The national government organization shall, under the control and jurisdiction of the Cabinet, be systematically constituted of a system of administrative organs having a well-defined scope of authority and responsibility and specific functions for which they are responsible.
2. The national administrative organs shall, under the control and jurisdiction of the Cabinet, maintain liaison with one another so that they may consummate their administrative functions as an organic whole.

(Establishment and Abolition of Administrative Organs, their Specific Functions, etc.)
Article 3. The national government organization shall be determined by this law.
2. For the purpose of administrative organization the national administrative organs shall be comprised an Office on ministerial level, Ministry, Commission or Agency. The establishment or abolition of such administrative organs shall be provided for by separate law.
3. Commissions and Agencies shall be those set up as independent organizations of the Prime Minister's Office, the Attorney General's Office or each Ministry.
4. Administrative organs set up as provided for in paragraph 2 shall be enumerated in the Appendix to this law.

Article 4. The scope of authority and responsibility of administrative organs referred to in the preceding Article and specific functions for which they are responsible shall be provided for by separate law.

(Heads of Administrative Organs)
Article 5. The head of the Prime Minister's Office, the Attorney General's Office and each Ministry shall be, respectively, the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and Minister of each Ministry (to be hereinafter referred to as "each Minister"), who, as a competent Minister referred to in the Cabinet Law, shall have charge and control of their respective administrative affairs.
2. The Attorney General shall be appointed by the Prime Minister from among persons most fitted for the post. He shall be a Minister of State.
3. Ministers of various Ministries shall be appointed by the Prime Minister from among Ministers of State. This shall not, however, preclude the Prime Minister from assuming in person any of those posts.
Article 6. The head of a Commission shall be Chairman, and of an Agency, Director.

(Internal Subdivisions and Organs)
Article 7. For the purpose of administering their respective specific functions, an Office on ministerial level, and Ministry shall have internal subdivisions enumerated below:

Secretariat

Bureaus

Sections

2. For the purpose of administering their respective specific functions, an Agency may have internal subdivisions enumerated below:

Secretariat

Divisions

Sections

3. Of the subdivisions referred to in the preceding two paragraphs, the establishment of the Secretariat, Bureau and Division, and the scope of affairs under their respective charge shall be provided for by law, while the creation of Section and its scope of the affairs under its respective charge shall be determined by each Minister or the head of independent organization within the limits of the pursuant law. However, in the case of creating Section, budgetary procedure shall be accompanied therewith.
4. The Commission shall have a Secretariat. The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs shall apply correspondingly to the internal organization of the Secretariat.

Article 8. In addition to the internal subdivisions referred to in the preceding Article, in case there is special necessity within the scope of specific functions as provided for by law, Councils or Committees (to be taken to embrace all those of an advisory or investigational nature, etc. other than Commissions provided for in Article 3), Experimental Stations or Laboratories, Research Institutes, Educational Facilities, Medical Facilities, and other organs may be set up as provided for by law.
2. In case the organs referred to in the preceding paragraph are to be established in local areas, the same shall be subject to the provision of Article 156 of the Local Autonomy Law (Law No. 67 of 1947).

Article 9. In case it is necessary to make them administer its specific functions, each administrative organ referred to in Article 3 may, as provided for by law, establish local branch offices.

(Authority and Responsibility of the Heads of Administrative Organs)
Article 10. Each Minister, a Chairman of each Commission, or Director of each Agency, shall preside over the affairs of his organ and control and supervise its personnel in regard to the performance of their duties.

Article 11. When each Minister deems it necessary to enact, amend, or abrogate any law or cabinet order in respect to administrative affairs under his charge, he shall submit a draft to the Prime Minister and ask for a cabinet conference.

Article 12. Each Minister may issue an ordinance for his respective office (an ordinance of the Prime Minister's Office, an ordinance of the Attorney General's Office or a ministerial ordinance) for the purpose of implementing any law or cabinet order in respect to administrative affairs under his charge or as specially authorized by law or cabinet order.
2. The head of an independent organization may submit to the respective competent Minister a draft of the ordinance referred to in the preceding paragraph in respect to the affairs under the jurisdiction of his organ and ask for its issuance.
3. Unless authorized by law, no penal clause nor any provision which imposes obligations or restricts rights of individuals may be included in the ordinance referred to in the preceding two paragraphs.

Article 13. The head of each independent organization may, as provided for by separate law, issue on his own accord rules and special orders other than cabinet orders or the ordinances as prescribed in paragraph 1 of the preceding Article.
2. The provision of paragraph 3 of the preceding Article shall apply correspondingly to the ordinances referred to in the preceding paragraph.

Article 14. In case it is necessary to make any public announcement in respect to the affairs under the jurisdiction of his organ, each Minister or the head of each independent organization may issue a notification.
2. For the purpose of giving orders or conveying directions in respect to the affairs under jurisdiction of his organ, each Minister or the head of each independent organization may issue instructions or circular notices to the organizations and personnel under his jurisdiction consistent with the provisions of the National Public Service Law (Law No. 120 of 1947) and rules issued thereunder.

Article 15. With respect to affairs under his charge, each Minister may direct and supervise the heads of local public entities in respect to national administrative affairs which they execute as provided for in Article 150 of the Local Autonomy Law. If the control or execution of national affairs that falls within the sphere of competence of the governor of the metropolis, district or urban or rural prefecture in his capacity as a national official is deemed to be contrary to the provisions of law or order or to the action of each competent Minister, or if he is negligent in the control or execution of such national affairs, each competent Minister may, as provided for in Article 146 of the Local Autonomy Law, order matters which such governor is to be compelled to carry out, ask for a trial by a law court, or proceed, after court determination, to execute the matters involved on behalf of the said governor, or the Prime Minister may remove him from office as provided for in the same Article.
2. In case the removal from office has been effected under the provision of the preceding paragraph the Prime Minister shall take steps to announce the reasons for such action and to make them known to the residents of the said metropolis, district or urban or rural prefecture, as provided for by cabinet order.

Article 16. If an ordinance of an office on ministerial level, or ministerial ordinance, or an order or direction issued by each Minister to the head of a local public entity or his other act on the basis of his authority for directing and supervising the latter as provided for in the preceding Article is deemed to be contrary to the primary object of local autonomy, the said head of a local public entity may make due representation to that effect to the Prime Minister. In such a case, if the representation is deemed to well-founded on reason, the Prime Minister shall make investigation within thirty days, direct the Minister involved or take such other steps as may be considered justified; and in case the Prime Minister finds that the representation is not justified, he shall notify the head of the local public entity concerned with the reasons therefor.
2. The representation referred to in the preceding paragraph shall not thereby affect the validity of an order, direction, or other act of Minister concerned.

(Positions in Administrative Organs)
Article 17. Each Ministry shall have one Vice-Minister, which position shall be in the special government service.
2. The Vice-Minister shall assist the Minister, participate in the formation of policies and program planning, regulate the ministerial affairs, and shall act for the Minister in his absence.

Article 18. The Prime Minister's Office shall have two Confidential Secretaries, and the Attorney General's Office and various Ministries shall each have one Confidential Secretary.
2. Confidential Secretaries shall deal with confidential matters under orders of the respective Minister or temporarily assist in the affairs of any subdivision by his order.

Article 19. The fixed number of positions for each administrative organ shall be provided for by law.

Article 20. Each administrative organ referred to in Article 3 shall, as a rule and in conformity with its internal subdivisions as specified in Article 7, have the following positions as the respective head thereof:

Chiefs of Bureau

Chiefs of Division

Chiefs of Section

2. The scope of specific functions and the authority and responsibility involved in the positions referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be classified in accordance with the provisions of the National Public Service Law.

(Special Provision for Administrative Organ of Government Enterprises)
Article 21. In regard to an administrative organ of government enterprises, the same may be otherwise provided for specifically by law, regardless of the provisions of Article 7 and of the preceding Article.

("Kodan")
Article 22. The public corporation "Kodan" shall be deemed administrative organ of the national government, whose establishment or abolition shall be provided for by separate law.
2. "Kodan" shall be enumerated in the Appendix to this Law.


Supplementary Provisions

Article 23. The present law shall come into force on and after January 1, 1949. However, the provision of Article 27 shall come into force as from the day of its promulgation.

Article 24. In addition to administrative organs referred to in Paragraph 2 of Article 3, in case there is special necessity, a Board with the Prime Minister as its head may be set up provisionally as provided for by separate law.
2. Unless otherwise prescribed by law, the provisions in this law concerning an Office on ministerial level and a Ministry shall apply correspondingly to a Board.

Article 25. Of the provisions of Article 19, those on positions shall become applicable from such a date as the position classification plan is determined and becomes effective under the National Public Service Law, and until that date the types of personnel for administrative organs and the specific matters for which they are responsible shall, unless otherwise provided for by law or cabinet order, be in accordance with the Common Rules concerning Personnel heretofore in force, and those on their fixed number shall come into force as from January 1, 1949.
2. Until the date as specified in the preceding paragraph, Vice-Ministers shall be first class officials, and Confidential Secretaries shall be second class officials, while Directors of an Agency, unless otherwise prescribed, shall be first class officials.

Article 26. Necessary details for implementing this law shall be provided for by cabinet order unless otherwise prescribed.

Article 27. The Appendix to this law provided for in paragraph 4 of Article 3 and in paragraph 2 of Article 22 shall be consolidated and attached only after the laws as required under the provisions of Article 3 and Article 22 are enacted, but not later than January 1, 1949.