帰国の記帳

English translation: Prime Minister's note to Emperor upon his return

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Japanese term or phrase:	帰国の記帳
English translation:	Prime Minister's note to Emperor upon his return
Entered by:	humbird

11:01 Feb 1, 2011

Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Government / Politics / Japanese Customs

Japanese term or phrase: 帰国の記帳

What would be a good translation of the above phrase in English?

FYI, the above phrase refers to a prime minister visiting the Imperial Palace upon returning from overseas and to report (?) to the Palace that he has returned safely. I see this phrase in the Japanese papers often, but I don't know how to phrase this in English.

The following link contains the phrase in question, and I was wondering how one would put this phrase into English.

http://d.hatena.ne.jp/oginos/20100629/1277801560

(皇居への帰国記帳)

　首相が外国から帰国すると、先ず皇居に帰国の記帳に行くことが慣例になっている。これも不思議で、不合理な慣例だと思う。鳩山氏は、よく外国に行っていたが、この帰国記帳は律儀に守っていた。現在の菅首相の最初の外遊は、カナダのトロント近郊でのサミット、すなわちG8、引き続いてのG20であった。出発は24日、帰国は6月28日(月)の深夜であった。

This question is for my personal knowledge, so if you feel you would be offended or not up to answering this type of question, please refrain from answering.

Yasutomo Kanazawa KudoZ activity Questions: 10 (none open) Answers: 3042 Japan
Local time: 19:44

Prime Minister's note to Emperor upon his return

Explanation:
記帳といえば長い報告のようでもあり、単なる帰国を証拠立てる署名だけかも知れず、詳しくは知りませんが、報告なら国会でするのではありませんか？

昔は総理大臣は天皇の第一の臣下だったのですから、その慣習が今も残っていて、帰国したらまず天皇に無事帰国したことを知っていただくのが筋だった、その報告を簡略にして、宮内庁とかにある帳面に帰国の知らせをする、それがこの記帳だと考えます。

だから、そのへんの事情を長々英訳せずとも、日本の事情を特に知らない英語スピーカーにもこれで通じると思います。

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Note added at 10 hrs (2011-02-01 21:10:54 GMT)
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”宮内庁とかにある帳面に帰国の知らせをする”を”宮内庁とかにある帳面に帰国した旨を記入する”と読み替えてください。

Selected response from:

humbird

Grading comment

Thank you humbird-san, for your input. Your suggestion matches what I had in mind.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +2

Prime Minister's note to Emperor upon his return

humbird

3 +1

The PM signs the Emperor's registry book (as a means of showing/demonstrating his respect)

Joyce A

attend an audience with the emporer upon his return

Jeremy Rosenberg

Sign the Emperor's (Kunai-cho's) visitors' book upon his return.

CX159

Answers

32 mins confidence:

attend an audience with the emporer upon his return

Explanation:
I suppose it depends on what the emporer is allowed to do - is he constitutionally able to ask the PM how it went, or does he only have the right to sign a piece of paper?

In England the queen has the constitutional right to "give a weekly audience to the PM" while parliament is in session - she doesn't always do it and the PM is unlikely to listen but she has that right.

Jeremy Rosenberg
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:44
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Jeremy, for your suggestion. Regarding your second paragraph, the Japanese Emperor DOES not have any political power nor constiutional rights to give anything to the PM or other Diet members. He's just regarded as a symbolic figure of the Japanese people.

Asker: Thank you Jeremy, for your suggestion.

4 hrs confidence:

Sign the Emperor's (Kunai-cho's) visitors' book upon his return.

Explanation:
帰国記帳は数分で終わり、天皇に直接謁見する代わりに名前を記帳してくるのだと思います。プロトコルですが、I don't know if there is an official name for the sign book or whether it is a separate book　for the prime ministers, but the prime minister signs the Emperor's (Kunai-cho's) visitors' book upon his return to Japan. I think they have the Queen's visitors' book in the UK not for the same purpose but for the general public.

visitors' book でなくて、ministers' book なのかもしれません。

CX159
Japan
Local time: 19:44
Native speaker of:

Japanese

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you CX159-san, for your contribution.

10 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

Prime Minister's note to Emperor upon his return

humbird
Native speaker of:

Japanese,

English
PRO pts in category: 20

Grading comment

Thank you humbird-san, for your input. Your suggestion matches what I had in mind.

13 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

The PM signs the Emperor's registry book (as a means of showing/demonstrating his respect)

Explanation:
Hi, Yasutomo. Please excuse me, but I re-entered by changing one word in my answer....I just had to do it because I felt it would be more respectful to do so. I didn't feel comfortable the other way.

Explanation:
The PM signs the Emperor's registry book as a means of showing/demonstrating his respect as per the explanation of the below "chiebukuro" website.

記帳 means registry; entry, posting, bookkeeping; signature
記帳所means place where visitors sign

http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q142...

首相の動静で「帰国後皇居にて記帳」とありますが「記帳」の意味を教えてくださ...
nikyorodeponさん
首相の動静で「帰国後皇居にて記帳」とありますが「記帳」の意味を教えてください。「記帳皇居首相帰国」で検索しても「帰国後陛下に挨拶をする」しかなく結局わかりませんでした
•
ベストアンサーに選ばれた回答
k99haさん
「無事帰って参りました」という報告をするのが筋ですが、
まあ、それしきでお上のお時間を取るのももったいないんで、
「記帳所」というところで、帳面に要件・官姓名を書きます。
あとで「ふむ、無事でやっておるか」と確認するわけです。

＃慣例的なモノらしい
＃＃民間で言うと、挨拶回りで名刺を置いてくるよ

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Note added at 20 hrs (2011-02-02 07:11:53 GMT)
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Thank you for your understanding, Yasutomo. I appreciate it.

Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 17:44
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 12

Notes to answerer

Asker: Hi Joyce, no problem at all. I might also do the same thing if I were in the same situation to make oneself more comfortable.

Asker: Thank you Joyce, for your suggestion.

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帰国の記帳

English translation: Prime Minister's note to Emperor upon his return

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