憲法上「行政」之概念──以日本學說為中心

The Essential Meaning of Executive Power in the Constitution: A Study Focusing on the Constitutional Theories in Japan

日本國憲法第65條規定，行政權屬於內閣。本文之目的，即在探討該條所稱之「行政」，其內涵應如何判斷，實踐上又有何意義。通說採取扣除說，認為「行政」係指國家作用中，扣除立法及司法作用者。但行政國家興起後，通說遭受新興學說挑戰。執政權說認為係指內閣之執政作用，強調內閣積極主導政策之憲法地位。法律執行說則認為係指法律內容之實現作用，強調行政活動之法律拘束性。兩說之問題意識及論證理由雖有不同，卻有相通之問題背景及實踐目的。經由兩說比較檢討，可以更精確瞭解內閣之憲法地位，從而正確把握「行政」於不同層次中應有之內涵。根據日本學說之研究成果，本文也將嘗試正面探討台灣憲法第53條之「行政」，指出未來可能之研究方向。

In the Constitution of Japan, Article 65 provides that “executive power shall be vested in the Cabinet”. However, the exact meaning of “executive power” is never clearly defined. The traditional theory adopts the “negative definition” where legislative power and judicial power are exempt from whole power of State and the residual power should accordingly be vested in executive power. But this definition cannot explain the essential meaning of executive power, which prompted two new theories to try positively redefining the meaning of executive power since 1990s. One of them is “political function theory”, which emphasizes the policy-making function of the Cabinet. The other one is “implement of law theory”, which focuses on the rule of law when the Cabinet executes laws. This study analyzes these two theories and attempts to clearly define the Cabinet’s status in the Constitution of Japan. The research results may also contribute to the definition of “executive power” in the Constitution of Taiwan.