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order. No believer in this or that religion has a right to place himself outside the pale of the law of the empire, on the ground of serving his god, and to free himself from his duties to the State, which, as a subject, he is bound to discharge. Thus, although freedom of religious belief is complete, and is exempt from all restrictions, so long as manifestations of it are confined to the mind; yet with regard to external matters, such as forms of worship and the mode of propagandism, certain necessary restrictions of law or regulations must be provided for, and, besides, the general duties of subjects must be observed. This is what the Constitution decrees, and it shows the relation in which political and religious rights stand toward each other.

29. Speeches, writings, publications, public meetings and associations, are the media through which men exercise their influence in political or social spheres…. But as every one of these edged tools can easily be misused, it is necessary, for the maintenance of public order, to punish by law, and to prevent by police measures, delegated by law, any infringement by use thereof upon the honour or the rights of any individual, any disturbance of the peace of the country, or any instigation to crime. These restrictions must, however, be determined by law, and lie beyond the sphere of ordinances.

30. The right of petition is granted to the people out of the Emperor’s most gracious and benevolent consideration, so that an avenue may be opened to his subjects by which they may be able to make their wishes known…. But petitioners must observe proper forms of respect. They must not abuse the right granted them by the Constitution, and show disrespect to the Emperor, or engage in calumniously exposing the secrets of other people. Such conduct is positively condemned by the rules of morality. It is necessary, therefore, to provide proper restrictions thereon by law or ordinance, or by rules of the House of the Diet.

The right of petition at first related only to representations addressed to the Sovereign, but its sphere has been gradually extended to those made to Parliament and Government offices. No legal restriction is made as to whether a petition concerns individual or public interest.

31. All the provisions in the present chapter give constitutional guarantees for the rights of the subject. It is the principle of every Constitution that the duty of obedience to law is not confined to the subject alone, but that the powers of the State in authority over him shall, in the exercise of their sway, likewise come under the restrictions of the law. Such is the essential feature of the present chapter. But the Constitution has not neglected to make exceptional provisions to meet requirements of exceptional contingencies. For it must be remembered that the ultimate aim of the State is to maintain