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Japan GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Government: Constitutional monarchy with emperor
as
symbol of state. Parliamentary form of government. Elected
bicameral legislature called National Diet, consisting of
House of
Councillors (upper house) and House of Representatives
(lower
house). General elections every four years or upon
dissolution of
lower house; general elections every three years for half
of upper
house.
Administrative Divisions: Forty-seven
administrative
divisions: forty-three rural prefectures (ken), two
urban
prefectures (fu--Kyoto and Osaka), one metropolitan
district
(to--Tokyo), and one district
(do--Hokkaido). Large
cities (shi) divided into wards (ku), then
into
precincts (machi or cho) or subdistricts
(shicho) and counties (gun).
Justice: Civil law system heavily influenced by
British
and American law. Independent judiciary consisting of
Supreme
Court, high courts, district courts, and family courts.
Politics: Although in 1994 no party had a
majority,
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had a sizable plurality,
followed by
Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ). Other parties
included:
Sakigake (Harbinger) Party, Shinseito (Renewal Party),
Komeito
(Clean Government Party), and Japan New Party.
Foreign Affairs: Major aid donor to developing
countries.
Maintains diplomatic relations with virtually all
countries of
world. Closely aligned since World War II with United
States
policies but takes neutral and independent stand on some
issues.
Member of Asian Development Bank, Colombo Plan for
Cooperative
Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific,
International Whaling Commission, Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations and its
affiliated agencies, and a number of other international
organizations.
Data as of January 1994
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