The establish of new ranks for the…

The establish of new ranks for the Japanese nobility is one of the first acts of the government on Ito's return.

Five hundred persons from the old court nobility, former daimyo, and samurai who had provided valuable service to the emperor, are organized in five ranks: prince, marquis, count, viscount, and baron.

Ito is put in charge of the new Bureau for Investigation of Constitutional Systems in 1884, and the Council of State is replaced in 1885 with a cabinet headed by Ito as prime minister.

The positions of chancellor, minister of the left, and minister of the right, which had existed since the seventh century as advisory positions to the emperor, are all abolished.

In their place, the Privy Council will be established in 1888, to evaluate the forthcoming constitution and to advise the emperor.

To further strengthen the authority of the state, the Supreme War Council is established under the leadership of Yamagata Aritomo (1838-1922), a Choshu native who has been credited with the founding of the modern Japanese army and is to become the first constitutional prime minister.

The Supreme War Council develops a German-style general staff system with a chief of staff who has direct access to the emperor and can operate independently of the army minister and civilian officials.