The , more commonly known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution, was the fundamental law of the Empire of Japan from 29 November 1889 until 2 May 1947. Enacted after the Meiji Renewal, it provided for a form of constitutional monarchy based on the Prussian model, in which the Emperor of Japan was an active ruler and wielded considerable political power, but shared this with an elected diet. Following Japan's defeat and occupation at the end of the Second World War, the Meiji Constitution was replaced by a new document, the present 'Constitution of Japan', which replaces the imperial system with a form of Western-style liberal democracy.