We hereby give Our sanction with the advice of the Privy Council to the Ordinance for the Amendment of the Imperial Ordinance No. 391 of the tenth year of Taisho (1921) concerning the Special Appointment of Procurator (Rijikan) of Embassy, Procurator (Rijikan) of Legation, Vice-counsul or Trade secretaty and cause the said Ordinance to be promulgated.
Signed: Hirohito, Seal of the Emperor
This twenty-seyenth day of the fourth month of the twenty-first year of Showa (27 April, 1946)
Countersigned: Baron Kijuro Shidehara Prime Minister
Shigeru Yoshida Foreign Minister
Imperial Ordinance No. 246
The following amendment shall be made to the Imperial Ordinance No. 391 of the tenth year of Taisho (1921).
Article 1. The appointment of Procurator of Embassy, Procurator of Legation, Vice-consul or Trade secretary can be made exclusively among those who possess one of the following qualifications,.....
1. Those who have been granted the title of "Gakushi,"" completing the course of a department of a university which is established in accordance with the University Ordinance, where the principal subject of study concerns the office they are going to hold, and who have held the office of the same kind as that they are going to hold for not less than two years as Officials who have engaged in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry.
2. Those who have graduated from a school of higher grade which is established in accordance with the Higher Grade School Ordinance or from a school which has been recognized as of the Same or of higher grade than the said school by the Minister of Education, where the principal subject of study concerns the office they are going to hold, and who have held the office of the same kind as that they are going to hold for not less than four years as officials who have engaged in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry.
3. Those who have held the office of the same kind as that they are going to hold for not less than eight years as Third Class Officials who have engaged in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry.
The department of a university or the school provided for in Item 1 and 2 of the preceding Paragraph, where the principal subject of study concerns the office they are going to hold, and the office of the same kind provided for in the same paragraph shall be recognized as such by the committee of the Higher Civil Service Examination.
In Article 2, "Article 1 of Sonin Rank Civil Officiai Special Appointment Ordinance" shall read "Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 4, 5 or 6 of the Government Official Appointment and Gradation Ordinance," "appointed procurator of Foreign Ministry or of Greater East Asia Ministry" shall read "appointed or graded Second Class Secretary of Foreign Ministry," "officials of Kotokan Rank" shall read "officials" and "through the examination by the committee of the Higher Civil Service Examination" shall be deleted.
In Article 3, Paragraph 1, "Article 1 of Sonin Rank Civil Official Special Appointment Ordinance" shall read "Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 4, 5 or 6 of the Government Official Appointment and Gradation Ordinance," appointed procurator of Foreign Ministry or of Greater East Asia Ministry" shall read "appointed or graded Second Class Secretary of Foreign Ministry," "officials of Kotokan rank" shall read "officials" and "through the examination by the committee of the Higher Civil Service Examination" shall be deleted, and in Paragraph 2 of the same Article, "officials of Kotokan Rank, procurator of Foreign Ministry or procurator of Greater East Asia Ministry" shall read "officials and Second Class Secretary of Foreign Ministry appointed or Graded in accordance with article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 4, 5 or 6 of the Government Official Appointment and Gradation Ordinance".
Supplementary Provisions:
The Present Ordinance shall come into force as from the day of its promulgations.
As regards the application of the amended provisions, the officials who have engaged in the Affairs of the Greater East Asia Ministry shall be considered as the officials who have engaged in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry, the officials of Hannin rank who have engaged in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry or of the Greater East Asia Ministry as the Third Class Officials who have engaged in the affairs of the Foreign Ministry, the procurators of Foreign Ministry or of Greater East Asia Ministry as the Second Class Secretaries of Foreign Ministry, and the procurators of Foreign Ministry or of Greater East Asia Ministry or the officials mentioned in Article 1 who have been appointed in accordance with the former provisions shall be considered in accordance with the amended provisions.