Japan's political system

Japanese Government

The political power in Japan is divided among three branches of government. The legislative power resides in the Diet (орган законодательной власти, национальный парламент), the executive power in the Cabinet (орган законодательной власти, национальный парламент), and the judicial power in the courts. The Diet selects the Prime Minister, who is the head of the Cabinet. The Cabinet selects the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and citizens eligible to vote choose Diet members in an election.

The Constitution of Japan

The present Constitution of Japan is an amended form of the 'Constitution of the Empire of Japan” which was in force prior to 1946. The present constitution was proclaimed post-war while Japan was still under the American occupation and has been in force since 1947.

Japan's present-day constitution is comprised of the ‘preamble and one hundred and three articles, which cover areas such as: the Emperor, the renunciation (отказ) of war, the rights and duties of the people, the National Diet, the Cabinet, and the administration of justice. The modern Constitution of Japan differs from that of the Meiji Era in that sovereignty (независимость) rests with the people and not the Emperor, there is a greater emphasis on pacifism and the basic rights of the people are guaranteed.

Basic human rights include, to begin with, freedom of religion, freedom of thought and conscience (совесть) and freedom of the press and of speech. As well as these, the right of each citizen to demand of the state the ability to lead a reasonable human existence (the 'right to live') and the right to privacy are also covered by such rights.

With the development of computers, the need for a system to protect privacy became apparent and in 1988, the law to protect personal information was proclaimed.

The National Diet

The National Diet is Japan's sole legislative body (единоличный законодательный орган) and is made up of the House of Representatives (the Lower House) and the House of Councilors (the Upper House). The are 480 members of the Lower House and 252 members of the Upper House. The proportion of female representation in the Diet was reported in 2000 as being 10.7%, which when compared with other democracies, ranks lower in the world. It is quite easy to see that men run the politics in Japan.

In 1993, during the time of the Hosokawa Cabinet, a woman, Takako Doi, was elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and women were appointed as government ministers. The role of women in Japanese politics began to make a strong impact. It is believed that the numbers of female Diet members will continue to increase in the future.

Elections

Diet members are elected to their positions by the people. At the time of an election, ballot papers are sent out to every eligible voter over the age of twenty in each city, town and village. When a person reaches the age of twenty-five, they earn the right of eligibility for election.

Members of the Lower House are elected for a term of four years, however, to date there has been a dissolution of the Diet every two and a half years, on average, leading to an election. Members of the Upper House serve a six-year term, with an election of half of the members every three years.

Transfer of Political Power

In 1993, the Hosokawa Administration ended the long 40 years of single-party rule of the Liberal Democratic Party, ushering (вводить) a new era of coalition government into the world of Japanese politics. In order to build a democratic society, it may be necessary to have various ideas and values, rather than a single ideology. Perhaps this might be a way of interpreting these events.

The Cabinet

On January 6, 2001, the national government was reorganized into the Cabinet Office and twelve ministries and agencies. This was a rather bold (отважный, смелый, храбрый) reformation, considering that the prior administrative structure was made up of the Prime Minister's Office and twenty-two ministries and agencies. The major changes accomplished through the reorganization were the establishment of the Cabinet Office (created from mainly the Prime Minister's Office, the Economic Planning Agency, and the Okinawa Development Agency), and the integration of some ministries and agencies into new ministries. So nowadays there exist the following: the Ministry of General Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, the Ministry of National Land and Transport. Additionally, three departments were merely renamed. Those are the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of the Treasury, and the Ministry of Economy and Industry.

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Management and Coordination Agency were combined to form the Ministry of General Affairs; the Ministry of Education and the Science and Technology Agency became the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Labor became the Ministry of Labor and Welfare; and the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Construction, the Hokkaido Development Agency, and the National Land Agency became the Ministry of National Land and Transport. Additionally, three departments were renamed, with the Environment Agency changing to the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Finance changing to the Ministry of the Treasury, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry changing to the Ministry of Economy and Industry.

It is hoped that this large-scale restructuring will be a positive change, bringing about a government that is led by politicians, not bureaucrats, and is responsive to the voice of the people.