Another instance of divergence is that of the expenditure, which, according to the Con stitution, is divided into two classes, the im movable and the movable. In regard to the immovable, Article 67 states that "those already fixed expenditures, based by the Constitution upon the powers appertaining to the emperor, and such expenditures as may have arisen by the effect of law, or that appertain to the legal obligations of the government, shall be neither rejected or reduced by the Imperial Parlia ment without the concurrence of the govern ment" Under this head are included the civil list, ordinary expenses required by the organi zation of different branches of the administra tion, and by that of the army and navy, the salaries of all civil and military officers, and outlays that may be required in consequence of treaties concluded with foreign nations; the expense of the House of Parliament, annual and other miscellaneous allowances to the members, government pensions and annuities, the interest on the national debt, redemption of the same, and other outlays of a like nature. These expenditures are fixed by the Constitu tion, which, being the highest and the funda mental law of the country, cannot be changed by any process of ordinary legislation. Thus all those expenditures which are necessary for the existence and continuance of the national government are secure from reduction or rejec tion by either House. This provision may be compared with those regulations relating to the English Consolidated Fund; and a similar pro tective clause has recently been made in several German states, namely, Brunswick, Oldenberg, Hanover and Saxe-Meiningen.
The movable expenditures, consisting of all those items exclusive of the immovable ex penditures which are either casual or temporary in their nature, are annually brought before the Parliament for discusgion and approval.
Our last chapter is devoted to the supple mentary rules, and has special reference to the amendment of the Constitution, which can be made only by the emperor.
By the adoption of the constitutional gov ernment, Japan has shown to the whole world that she is following in the steps of the civil ized nations, and the record of the last 18 years of her Parliament has shown to Europe and America that Japan has mastered the most intricate mechanism of constitutional govern ment. And again by adopting the constitutional government, Japan not only entered into the family of civilized nations, but has shown to the world that the constitutional. government is not monopolized by the Caucasian race. More over, Japan by her earnest study, of 19th cen tury science, by her keen appreciation of the fruit of civilization, and by her strong percep tion of national responsibility has entered into the arena of constitutional government and mastered thoroughly the same principle ac lmowledged in the civilized nations of Europe and America.