Although there was no legal provisions to stipulate it, these nine people had the authority to name a Prime Minister in accordance with the Constitution of the Empire of Japan and they had developed the so-called Han-batsu Seiji (government dominated by cliques from the major han).
法的な規定は無かったが、大日本帝国憲法の下で首相を決定することができる権限を持っていた人物たちで、いわゆる藩閥政治を形成していた。