A DETAILED NOTE ON JAPAN

Japan is a very powerful East Asian country, often known as the land of the rising sun. Japan has a rich history and is often considered as the new economic and technology giant. Until World War II, Japan’s emperor wielded considerable power in Japanese politics. Though the emperor of Japan is still very respected to this day, Japan now has a constitutional monarchy. It means that the emperor is the ceremonial head of the nation, and the country is run by an elected parliament. 

Parliament in Japan

The Japanese parliament is bicameral in nature. The prime minister of Japan is the executive head of the nation. The parliament in Japan is also known as the “national diet” and is the legislature of the country. The national diet has two separate houses, which are the house of representatives and the house of councillors. The Constitution of Japan vests judicial power in the Supreme Court of the nation and several other lower courts. Japan has a dominant party system, which refers to the fact that there is one political party that forms the government. In the case of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party has been forming governments since its foundation in 1955. To this date, no other party has been able to form any significant opposition. In the post-World War period, Japan’s political scenario has been dominated by the rise of the Liberal Democratic Party. 

Structure of government in Japan

The government in Japan is elected in nature. The acting or ceremonial head of the government is the emperor. He is a very respected figure, even though he holds no real power. The chief minister is appointed by the emperor, and all the members of the diet are appointed by the prime minister. The election for the house of representatives is conducted every four years, and the election for the house of councillors is conducted every three years. Local elections are conducted every four years for offices working in the prefectures (an administrative unit in Japan) and municipalities. The national diet is the apex body of the administration, and all the executive power is vested in this body. As mentioned earlier, the diet consists of two houses: the houses of representatives and councillors. The house of representatives, or the lower house of parliament, actually holds all the power. The lower house forms the budget, holds and ratifies the treaties, has all control over foreign affairs, passes the bills, and most importantly, selects the prime minister. It can even force the government to dissolve itself. It has some control over the upper house or the house of councillors, such as if a passed bill is down-voted by the upper house, the house of representatives can override the decision. One of the unique characteristics of the Japanese government is that most of the members of the house of representatives are not able to complete their full terms of four years as the prime minister has the power to dissolve them. The bills are made by the lower house, but these bills are only sent to the upper house for their approval. This indicates that the upper house of parliament is very weak in nature. The members of the house have a complete tenure of six years, and half of the members are elected every three years. Though it is common for different parties to control different houses of parliament. This situation is often known as the “twisted diet situation.” As mentioned before, the LDP or liberal democratic party, has been forming governments since the end of World War Two, and most of the prime ministers were selected from the inner circle of the party. Despite the existence of numerous organisations in Japan, these parties were unable to form an effective government in the country.

Conclusion

Japan is one of the most powerful and economically and technologically advanced countries in the entire Asia Pacific. Japan‘s political development was most prominent after World War Two ended. The government, parliament, and administration systems of Japan have many unique characteristics, and so this information is very important for both international relations experts and exam aspirants.