Government and Politics

Japan is governed under the constitution of 1947, drafted by the Allied occupation authorities and approved by the Japanese Diet. It declares that the emperor is the symbol of the state but that sovereignty rests with the people. Executive power is vested in a cabinet appointed and headed by the prime minister, who is elected by the Diet and is usually the leader of the majority party in that body. Japan's bicameral Diet has sole legislative power. The House of Representatives has 480 members, who are popularly elected for four-year terms; approximately three fifths of them are chosen by single-seat constituencies and the rest proportionally. The House of Councilors has 242 members; they elected for six-year terms. A supreme court heads an independent judiciary. Administratively, Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, each governed by a popularly elected governor and unicameral legislature.

Most political parties in Japan are small and do not have broad, mass memberships; their members are mainly professional politicians. The Liberal Democratic party (LDP), which supports close ties with the U.S. and a strong relationship between government and business, held the majority of seats in the Diet from 1955, when the party was formed, to 1993, when an opposition coalition formed a government; however, it was back in government in 1994. The Social Democratic party (SDP, formerly the Socialist party), was long the chief LDP rival; in 1994–99, however, the party formed a governing coalition with the LDP. Other significant parties currently include the Democratic party of Japan, which is now Japan's largest opposition party, and New Komeito, a Buddhist-influenced party.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

• • Cite
  • Print