The Imperial Household Economy Law of 1947
Article 1. State property which is assigned, or which has been determined to be assigned, to the official use of the Imperial Household (called the Imperial Household Use Property hereafter) shall be treated as government use property under the State Property Law, and matters pertaining to it will be handled by the Imperial Household Office.
In case an item of state property is assigned, or is determined to assigned to the official use of the Imperial Household, the matter must be passed by the Imperial Household Economy Council, So shall it be also in case the use of any Imperial Household Use Property is discontinued or altered.
The Imperial Household Use Property shall not be property intended for revenue.
The Imperial Household Economy Council shall make the necessary survey concerning the Imperial Household Use Property at an interval of not more than five years and will make a report to the Cabinet.
When the report of the preceding paragraph has been made, the Cabinet shall report to the Diet the content thereof.
Article 2. In the cases of sale or purchase for reasonable price and of other ordinary private economic transactions, and in any of the cases specified below, a property may be alienated to, or received by, the Imperial Household, or a gift can be made therefrom without authorization by the Diet each time.
When the giving and receiving of property takes place more than once one year between the same parties, the provisions of the subparagraphs of the preceding paragraph shall apply to the aggregate amount of such transactions.
In case the amount in value of the properties given by or to a member belonging to the Imperial Household under the provisions of 1 or 2 of paragraph 1 in a period less than one year has reached the amount as fixed separately by law, the above provisions do not apply to the giving or receiving of property during the remainder of the year.
Article 3. The appropriation for the expenditures of the Imperial Household to made in the budget shall be divided into the Inner Court Appropriation, the Imperial Court Appropriation, and the Imperial Family Appropriation.
Article 4. The Inner Court Appropriation shall apply to the daily expenditures of the Emperor and Empress, the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, the Kotaishi and his consort, the Kotaison and his consort, and other Imperial Family members belonging to the Inner Court, and to other miscellaneous expenditures of the Inner Court; a fixed sum shall be appropriated annually as is determined by law separately.
The sums provided by the Inner Court Appropriation shall constitute the Privy Purse and shall not be treated as public money to be administered by the Imperial Household Office.
In case the Imperial Household Economy Council deems it necessary to change the fixed sum of paragraph 1, it must submit to the Cabinet its opinion thereon.
When the opinion of the Council has been submitted, as under the preceding paragraph, the Cabinet shall report to the Diet the content thereof at the earliest opportunity.
Article 5. The Imperial Court Appropriation shall apply to all the expenditures of the Imperial Court other than those of the Inner Court and shall be administered by the Imperial Household Office.
Article 6. The Imperial Family Appropriation shall apply to the sums which are provided as annuities for the maintenance of the dignity of the members of the Imperial Family and those which are provided for the persons who leave the status of Imperial Family member for the maintenance of dignity of persons who have been members of the Imperial family, in one-time payment to be made at the time when they leave their status. the sums of such annuities or one-time payments shall be calculated on the basis of a fixed sum as will be determined by law separately.
The annuities shall be calculated according to the stipulations set forth under the following numbers and in paragraphs 3 to 5; and they shall paid annually to the members of the Imperial Family other than those specified in Article 4.
A married Shinno or O, even after the cessation of marital relationship, shall receive the same amount as before.
A member of the Imperial Family who is the Regent, shall receive five times the fixed amount during the term of his office.
A person, possessing more than one status, shall be paid according to the status commanding the highest annuity.
A person who leaves the status of member of the Imperial Family according to the provisions of the Imperial Household Law shall receive a sum in one-time payment, as determined by the Imperial Household Economy Council, and within the limits of not exceeding the amount corresponding to fifteen times the amount of the annuity due to said person to be calculated according to the provisions of paragraph 2 and 3 and the preceding paragraph.
In calculating the sum for one-time payment, as under the preceding paragraph, an unmarried or underage Shinno or O shall be considered married Shinno or O; and Naishinno or Jo-o underage as Naishinno or Jo-o of age.
The provisions of Article 4, paragraph 3 and 4 shall apply to the fixed sum of paragraph 1.
Article 7. The Imperial Heir upon his accession to the Throne shall receive such traditional properties as are to be handed down the Throne.
Article 8. The Imperial Household Economy Council shall be composed of eight members.
The members shall be the President and Vice Presidents of the House of Representatives and of the House of Councillors, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the head of the Imperial Household Office, and the head of the Board of Audit.
Article 9. There shall be appointed eight reserve members in the Imperial Household Economy Council.
Article 10. The Imperial Household Economy Council, unless there are five members present or more, may not open deliberations and make decisions.
The deliberations shall be decided by majority vote. In case of tie, the chairman shall make the decision.
Article 11. The provisions of Article 29; Article 30, paragraphs 3-7; Article 31; Article 33, paragraph 1; Article 36; and Article 37 of the Imperial Household Law shall apply to the Imperial Household Economy Council mutatus mutandis.
The post of the reserve member of the Minister of Finance on the Council shall be filled by the Vice Minister of Finance; and that of the reserve member of the head of the Board of Audit by an official of the Board of Audit, who shall be designated by the Prime Minister.
Supplementary Provisions
The present law shall come into force as from the day of the enforcement of the Constitution of Japan.
Those items of the former Imperial Household Property which are in use by the Imperial Household at the time of the enforcement of the present law and which have become State Property under the State Property Law shall be considered, without a decision of the Imperial Household Economy Council, ad the Imperial Household Use Property, regardless of the provisions of Article 1, paragraph 2.
The necessary matters relating to the transition disposition of the rights and obligations which belong to the former Imperial Household Account at the time of the enforcement of the present law, and such are to carried over by the State, shall be provided for by cabinet order.
The Inner Court Appropriation and the sum of the annuities under the Imperial Family Appropriation for the fiscal year in which the present law takes effect shall be provided for on the basis of monthly quotas.