Politics in Japan and Its Government Essay

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Second World War, Japan was a traditional absolute monarchy but since the adoption of a new constitution in 1946, Japan has become a constitutional monarchy in which the emperor serves as symbolic head of state and the legislature or Diet is parliamentary in nature. The Constitution of Japan expressly outlines the role of the emperor as "symbol of the state and of the unity of the people," (cited by Michigan State University 1). The Emperor serves in ceremonial functions such as the awarding of special honors and providing the ceremonial appointments of the Prime Minister and Supreme Court judges. Emperor Akihito is the reigning monarch; successors are hereditary.

Therefore, Japan possesses a similar system to the one used by Britain and its commonwealth countries. The current system of Japanese government was actually established during the Allied occupation of Japan in 1946 ("Government" 1). According to the Consulate-General of Japan in San Francisco, "executive power is vested in the cabinet," which includes the prime minister and up to 17 ministers of state (1). The Prime Minister is not elected directly by the public but is instead appointed by the Diet, which possesses legislative power in Japan. Japan's Diet (Kokkai) is bicameral with a House of Representatives (Shugi-in) comprised of 480 members and a House of Councilors (Sangi-in) comprised of 242 members (Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet 1). Terms in the House of Councilors last 6 years, versus 4 for members of the House of Representatives. Prior to the 1946 Constitution, women were prohibited from voting in Japan. Voting age is 20. Until 1982, voters would cast ballots for specific candidates similar to the American system but in 1982, the political and voting process changed to one more akin to the British system in which voters cast a vote for the political party. Parties then receive proportional representation in the Diet/parliament. Voter turnout is generally high, but has fluctuated and dipped in recent election years. In 2005, for example, 67.5% of eligible voters cast their ballots ("Background: Politics and Political Campaigns in Japan"). Only 52% turned out in 2012 (Darlington).

The Prime Minister officially serves as member of the House of Representatives, but the entire Diet designates the appointment of Prime Minister with additional symbolic approval provided by the emperor. Official constitutional roles of the Prime Minister include "signing laws/orders, presenting bills, and making reports on domestic and foreign relations to the Diet," (Michigan State University 1). In practice, the Prime Minister also has other roles and duties. For example, the Prime Minister "submits bills to the Diet, reports to the Diet on general national affairs and foreign relations, and exercises control and supervision over various administrative branches," (Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet 1).

The Prime Minister and the cabinet are considered to be the executive branch of government, and the Diet is the legislative branch. Japan also has a judiciary branch including a Supreme Court (Saiko Saibansho), the justices of which are selected by the Cabinet. The constitutionally stated role of the Saiko Saibansho is to ensure that the Constitution of Japan is being upheld. The Cabinet is entrusted with the responsibility of designating the Chief Justice, who is then ceremonially appointed by the emperor. A similar process is in place for associate justices of the Supreme Court. The Cabinet makes the designations or recommendations, and the monarch makes the ceremonial appointments required for them to serve. Moreover, "all justices are reviewed in a popular referendum at the first general election of the house of representatives following each judge's appointment and every 10 years afterward," (Michigan State University 1).

Legislative power is shared equally among the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, although the House of Councilors is considered to be "higher," because it possesses the additional power of delaying the adoption of a bill or treaty (Michigan State University). Members of both Houses are elected in a proportional representation system and in single-seat constituency systems (Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet 1). A typical Diet session lasts for 150 days during the year. In addition to national government, Japan also has prefectural and municipal governments and likewise, district courts, family courts, and other judiciary bodies in addition to the federal Supreme Court. Furthermore, the executive Cabinet includes the main Cabinet Office, plus about a dozen different ministries. These ministries have been formally established and include the Cabinet Secretariat, Cabinet Legislation Bureau, National Personnel Authority, and Security Council of Japan, and other Cabinet organs (Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet).

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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is the current prime minister of Japan and a member of the Liberal-Democratic Party. He previously served as the Chief Cabinet Secretary under his predecessor, the popular Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. This is the second time that Abe has served as Prime Minister, after he resigned in 2007 due to scandal. In 2007, Yasuo Fukuda was appointed Prime Minister but only for a short period of time. In 2012, Abe became Prime Minister once again. Abe's Liberal-Democratic Party has been the predominant party in Japan's modern history, holding power for the bulk of its time as a Constitutional Monarchy.

Until 1994, the Liberal-Democratic Party had held power in the Diet almost continually. Since 1994, the Liberal-Democratic Party has occasionally formed various coalitions and therefore continues to retain a great degree of power in Japan. In fact, since Abe's re-election in 2012, the party has again returned to its former undisputed glory. The Liberal-Democratic Party is considered "considered the more conservative of the two major parties, the other of which is the Democratic Party of Japan ("Background: Politics and Political Campaigns in Japan" 1). There are a number of different political parties in Japan that may be more efficacious at the local or prefectural level, but in federal politics the only other party that has significant representation in the Diet is the New K meit, which as of 2012 possessed 31 seats, but which "traditionally allies itself with the Liberal Democratic Party" anyway (Darlington 1).

According to Darlington, the Liberal-Democratic Party "the dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan's political system has profoundly shaped the nature of politics. It may have rendered the Diet politically impotent with "little real authority," due to the profound power wielded by the industrial sector and civil servants in their respective bureaucratic organizations (Darlington). Rather than have multiple parties squabble for power, political disagreements are also hashed out under the Liberal-Democratic Party umbrella, precluding effective political discourse (Darlington). In fact, the divisions within the Liberal-Democratic Party have been formalized into groups known as the "Heisei Kenkyukai (from the Liberal Party - Right Liberal), Kouchi Kai (from Liberal Party - Keynesian economics and Right Liberal), and Seiwa Seisa-ku Kenkyukai (from Democratic Party - Nationalist)" (Darlington).

Formalizing the divisions into groups prevents the emergence of political demogogues, which would run counter to the Japanese philosophy of collectivism and conformity, as well as consensus building. Goel describes Japanese politicians within the overall framework of Japanese cultural norms, noting that "Japanese Prime Ministers are said to be team players; they are not strong leaders in their own person," or the types of charismatic leaders that become popular in the United States or in India. This emphasis on harmony and group identity would also explain why Shinzo Abe would have been re-appointed to the position even after a political scandal. Furthermore, the Prime Minister lacks the type of power his position might have in counterpart nations around the world (Goel).

Darlington points out that nepotism is not uncommon in Japanese politics, with many members of the Diet being the children or grandchildren of former members. In 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party took the initiative to propose structural changes to the Japanese Constitution. However, changes have been stagnant because each political party has its own vision of how the Constitution should be revised, if at all (Darlington). Economic woes and the decline of core manufacturing industries in Japan may lead to a deeper type of soul-searching in the nation that may require structural changes to the government and particularly to its over-reliance on the civil servant bureaucracies and industrialists for informing legislation and political policy.

Japan has a unique political culture grounded in its age-old philosophical traditions. According to Katayama, the political culture of Japan is characterized by three essential features: the developmental orientation, the principle of coexistence, and the holistic philosophy," (273). The developmental orientation underscores Japan's commitment to its industrial sector and pragmatic economic growth. The principle of coexistence, tabunka ky-se, roughly refers to multiculturalism or diversity. A holistic political philosophy is in keeping with core dimensions of Japanese identity and culture. Moreover, Japanese political life is notably characterized by its commitment to peace. The Constitution of Japan prohibits the maintenance of a standing military, and prohibits Japan from initiating or leading in a war, a policy that has recently become.....

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