c.
Political Structure
i. Describe the current political structure of the nation-state, including its form of
government, constitution, and branches of power.
ii. Explain the electoral system and political parties, if applicable.
iii. Discuss any notable political ideologies or movements that have influenced the
nation-state's political structure.
iv. Discuss any historical conflicts, revolutions, or independence movements that have
shaped the nation-state's political system
Japan:
The current political structure of Japan is that it is a constitutional monarchy, with
a parliamentary system of government based on the separation of powers. With Japan
having an Emperor which serves as the symbol of Japan and the unity of the people. He
performs acts in the matters of the state with the approval and advice of the cabinet
such as the promulgation of amendments of the Constitution, laws, cabinet orders and
treaties, the convocation of the Diet, the dissolution of the House of Representatives,
and the proclamation of general election of members of the Diet to name a few. While
he has no powers related to the government, He appoints the Prime Minister and the
Chief of Justice of the Supreme Court as designated by the Diet and the Cabinet
respectively and is able to play a relevant diplomatic role. (Prime Minister’s Office of
Japan n.d)
In the early years after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868), A new
centralized, bureaucratic government was put into place. The symbolic head of this new
government was the Emperor Meiji and the period from 1868 to 1912 is referred to as
the “Meiji Period” of rapid modernization in Japan. The Meiji Constitution established a
political framework in which the emperor (or in reality his advisers) controlled the military
and the civil bureaucracy, issued orders called ordinances, and held sovereign power.
The Meiji Constitution also established a democratically elected parliament called the
Diet which was responsible for drawing up the national budget and making national law.
After WW II ended in 1945 with Japan’s defeat, the Allied Occupation of Japan under
American leadership wanted to change the system and make it impossible for any
groups to claim power by speaking on behalf of the emperor, A new constitution was
drafted and adopted by the Japanese in 1947, This 1947 constitution which is still in
effect, gave sovereign power to the people instead of the emperor. The power was put
in the hands of those whom the sovereign people elected, namely the members of the
Japanese Diet, the parliament. (Weatherhead East Asian Institute n.d)
Now for Japan’s branches of power, we start off with the Prime Minister and the
Cabinet. The executive powers are vested exclusively in the Cabinet which consists of a
Prime Minister and a minister that he or she appoints. Because Japan has a
parliamentary political system, members of the House of Representatives elect a Prime
Minister from among themselves by majority vote which is then appointed by the
Emperor. The Prime Minister is the head of the government, and to help him direct the
government, the Prime Minister forms a cabinet which consists of his political allies. The
Prime Minister appoints the members of the Cabinet, with all of them having to be
members of the legislature. The Cabinet is responsible to the Diet and must resign if the
House of Representatives passes a vote of no-confidence. The power of the Prime
Minister of Japan has increased in recent years due to political reforms that have
strengthened the control of the Prime Minister’s headquarters over the bureaucracy and
over the ruling party however, the powers of the Prime Minister are still more limited
than the role of Prime Minister of other parliamentary systems such as Great Britain,
France, or Germany. (Weatherhead East Asian Institute n.d)
Moving on to the branches of power of Japan, the Japanese Parliament, the
National Diet of Japan. The National Diet is divided into two houses, an upper house
(the House of Councilors) and a lower house (the House of Representatives) The Diet
has authority over all legislative matters and both houses are directly elected by the
people. The House of Representatives, is composed of 289 single-seat constituencies
and 176 seats determined by proportional representation in 11 multi member districts.
These representative’s serve 4-year terms unless the house is dissolved. The House of
Councilors is composed of 245 members, who serve for 6-year terms with half of the
Upper House being elected every three years, Additionally the House of Councilors
cannot be dissolved. The lower house is the more powerful of the two, The House of
Representatives is the dominant house in the legislature, possessing authority to enact
laws, approve treaties, pass the budget, and select the prime minister. If the upper
house rejects a bill passed by the lower house, it becomes a law if passed again by the
lower house in a two-thirds vote. (Weatherhead East Asian Institute n.d)
Now for the Bureaucracy of Japan, like every other modern industrialized
country, Japan needs competent individuals working the government, these are the
people we call bureaucrats. The bureaucrats of Japan fall into two different groups of
people. A large number of civil servants who do all the normal, mundane, and routine
business involved in running a government. And there is the small group of elite
bureaucrats who hold the most important positions in the major ministries such as
Finance, International Trade and Industry, Health and Welfare, and Education who are
few in number and have a great deal of prestige and power. When observers refer to
the Japanese bureaucracy, they are usually referring to the small elite within the
Japanese governmental administrative structure. (Weatherhead East Asian Institute
n.d)
