The Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China is a government ministry under the State Council of China which is responsible for legal affairs. The range of responsibilities include judicial process, drafting legislation, developing legal framework, participating in national and international treaties, prosecution and sentencing. The ministry also ensures the maintenance and improvement of China's system of law and justice and its national security.

History

On October 30, 1949, the Ministry of Justice of the Central People's Government was established; in September 1954, it was transformed into the Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China adopted at the first session of the First National People's Congress. In 1959, the judicial administrative organs were abolished, and in 1979, the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress decided to re-establish the Ministry of Justice. In March 2018, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council was absorbed into the MOJ.

Organization

The executive head of the ministry is the Minister of Justice. This position is equivalent to Attorney General in other countries. The MOJ houses the Office of the Central Comprehensive Law-Based Governance Commission. The Ministry of Justice Bureau of Prison Administration (司法部监狱管理局) operates national prisons in China, except the Qincheng Prison, which is administered by the Ministry of Public Security. As of 2015, Liu Zhenyu (刘振宇) is the head of the department.

Organizational structure