$Unique_ID{bob00361} $Pretitle{} $Title{Japan Government and Diplomacy} $Subtitle{} $Author{International Society for Educational Information, Inc.} $Affiliation{Embassy of Japan, Washington DC} $Subject{house party emperor japan diet members representatives prince elected court see tables } $Date{1989} $Log{See Table 2.*0036101.tab } Title: Japan Book: The Japan of Today Author: International Society for Educational Information, Inc. Affiliation: Embassy of Japan, Washington DC Date: 1989 Government and Diplomacy Government The Constitution and the Emperor In Japan's Constitution, which was promulgated on November 3, 1946, and took effect on May 3 the following year, the Japanese people pledge to uphold the high ideals of peace and democratic order. The preamble of the Constitution states: "We, the Japanese people, desire peace for all time....We desire to occupy an honored place in an international society striving for the preservation of peace, and the banishment of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance for all time from the earth." The Constitution differs in many important respects from the Meiji Constitution of 1889. Some of its key provisions are as follows: -The Emperor is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people. Sovereign power rests with the people. -Japan renounces war as a sovereign right. It also renounces the threat or the use of force as means of settling disputes with other nations. -Fundamental human rights are guaranteed as eternal and inviolable. -The former House of Peers is replaced by the House of Councillors, whose members, like those of the House of Representatives, are elected as representatives of all the people. The House of Representatives has preeminence over the House of Councillors. -Executive power is vested in the cabinet, which is collectively responsible to the Diet. -Local self-government is established on an extensive scale. -The Emperor has no powers related to government; he performs only those acts of state that are stipulated in the Constitution. Thus, for example, he appoints the prime minister and the chief justice of the Supreme Court. The prime minister, however, is first designated by the Diet, and the chief justice by the cabinet. The Emperor also performs such acts on behalf of the people as promulgating laws and treaties, convoking the Diet, and awarding honors, all with the advice and approval of the cabinet. The Imperial Family His Majesty Emperor Akihito acceded to the throne as japan's emperor on January 7, 1989, upon the demise of Emperor Hirohito (posthumously named Emperor Showa). In his first audience with representatives of the nation Emperor Akihito pledged to observe the Constitution and expressed his wish for the further development of the nation, world peace, and the promotion of human well-being. Emperor Akihito was born in Tokyo on December 23, 1933, the first son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako. While he was Crown Prince, Emperor Akihito studied at Gakushuin elementary, junior high, and senior high schools until 1952 and at Gakushuin University until 1956. In addition to his education at Gakushuin, he received private tutoring on many subjects, including the Constitution of Japan. In April 1959 then Crown Prince Akihito married Shoda Michiko (now Her Majesty Empress Michiko), the eldest daughter of the former president of a major flour manufacturing company. The late Emperor Hirohito, who was born in Tokyo on April 29, 1901, became the longest-reigning (62 years) and the longest-living (87 years) emperor in Japanese history. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager Nagako, the eldest daughter of the late Prince Kuni, was born in Tokyo on March 6, 1903. She married then Crown Prince Hirohito on January 26, 1924, and became Empress in December 1926. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have three children. The oldest, His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito (also known as Prince Hiro), was born on February 23, 1960. Crown Prince Naruhito graduated from the Department of History in the Faculty of Letters of Gakushuin University in March 1982 and went on to take the first part of the doctoral course in history in the Graduate School of Humanities at the same university, specializing in the medieval history of Japan. In July 1983 he went to the United Kingdom, where he entered the Graduate School of Oxford University the following October, studying commodity transport on the River Thames in the latter half of the eighteenth century at Merton College. After his return to Japan, he resumed his studies at the Graduate School of Gakushuin University. Their Majesties' other two children are Prince Fumihito, who was born on November 30, 1965 and has the title of Aya-no-Miya (Prince Aya), and Princess Sayako, who was born on April 18,1969 and has the title of Nori-no-Miya (Princess Nori). Emperor Akihito's younger brother is Prince Hitachi, who married Princess Hanako in September 1964. Other members of the Imperial Family include Princess Chichibu, Princess Takamatsu, Prince and Princess Mikasa, Prince and Princess Tomohito of Mikasa, Prince Katsura, and Prince and Princess Takamado. (The last three princes are sons of Prince Mikasa, who is the younger brother of the late Emperor Hirohito. Prince Chichibu and Prince Takamatsu, who were younger brothers of the late Emperor, are deceased). With the abolition of the peerage after the war, only members of the Imperial Family retain princely titles. The daughters of the late Emperor Hirohito, who are married, no longer retain their imperial titles. Legislature The National Diet is the highest organ of state power and the sole law-making body in Japan. It consists of the House of Representatives with 512 seats and the House of Councillors with 252 seats. The members of the House of Representatives are elected for a term of four years, but this term may be terminated before the expiry of the four years if the house is dissolved. Members are elected from 130 constituencies, which, with one exception, are multimember constituencies of two to six members, depending on the size of the population. Members of the House of Councillors are elected for a term of six years. Half of the members are elected every three years. One hundred members are elected by proportional representation from what is called the national constituency, which means that they are elected by voters throughout the country. The remaining 152 members are elected from 47 prefectural constituencies. Sessions of the House of Representatives and House of Councillors include ordinary sessions, extraordinary sessions, and special sessions. Ordinary sessions of the Diet are convened once a year in December and last for 150 days. The most important bill submitted at an ordinary session is the state budget for the next fiscal year. The House of Representatives has the right to prior deliberation on the budget bill drafted and submitted to the Diet by the cabinet. The lower house is also given precedence over the House of Councillors in designating a new prime minister and considering the conclusion of treaties. The House of Representatives has the power to submit motions of non-confidence or confidence in the cabinet. This is the most important power of the lower house in parliamentary politics. The House of Councillors is not legally empowered to introduce nonconfidence motions. The speaker and vice-speaker of the House of Representatives, and the president and vice-president of the House of Councillors, have the duty of maintaining order in the chamber and overseeing the business of the day. To ensure the impartiality of Diet proceedings, all four of them customarily renounce their party affiliation. The House of Councillors can temporarily replace the House of Representatives in the execution of Diet functions if and when the cabinet convenes an emergency session of the upper house while the lower house is dissolved. Japanese citizens aged 25 years and over are eligible for election to the House of Representatives, and those aged 30 years and over may be elected to the House of Councillors. Japan has universal adult suffrage, with all men and women aged 20 years and over eligible to vote in all elections. Political parties Japan's first political party, the Public Society of Patriots (Aikoku Koto), was formed in 1874 and immediately presented the Government with a paper calling for the establishment of a representative legislature. The country's first general election was held 16 years later, on July 1, 1890, and the first session of the Diet was convened on November 29 of the same year. Japan's Diet was the first national legislature to be established in Asia. The role of political parties in national affairs grew in the following decades, but the ascent of militarism in the period leading up to World War II led to a decline in the influence of the parties and ultimately to their temporary dissolution. The six major political parties in Japan now are the Liberal Democratic Party, Japan Socialist Party, Komeito, Democratic Socialist Party, Japan Communist Party, and United Social Democratic Party. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Japan's major conservative political group, was formed in 1955 through the merger of two conservative parties founded after World War II. The LDP has continued to govern without a break since 1955. The party president is elected by LDP members of the House of Representatives and House of Councillors for a two-year term. When there are four or more candidates for the post, the top three candidates are chosen through direct voting in a primary election by party members, and then the president is elected from among these three candidates by LDP Diet members. Current party rules stipulate that a president can serve no more than two terms in office. The basic planks of the LDP's policy are (1) to perfect Japan as a cultural and democratic state by enhancing the functions of existing institutions in line with the best principles of democracy; (2) to seek to build a self-reliant and independent Japan; (3) to strive for improved international relations on the basis of universal justice for a human-kind that aspires for peace and freedom; and (4) to plan and implement a comprehensive economic program based on individual initiative and free enterprise, keeping in mind the welfare of the public, and to stabilize the people's livelihood and achieve a welfare state. At the heart of the LDP's foreign policy platform is its support for cooperative relations between Japan and the United States based on the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the two countries. The party also stresses the importance of Japan's making an active contribution to the international community through increased economic assistance to developing countries. The Japan Socialist Party was first formed in November 1945 through a merger of different proletarian parties of prewar days. After a split into left-and right-wing parties in 1951, the unified party made a second appearance in October 1955. Its objective is the realization of socialism through a "peaceful and democratic revolution" while upholding the present Constitution. In July 1986 Doi Takako was elected chairwoman of the JSP, thereby becoming the first woman to head a major political party in Japan. The Komeito (Clean Government Party) was formed in November 1964, originally as the political arm of the Soka Gakkai, a lay body of the Nichiren Shoshu sect of Buddhism. Participating in its first general election in January 1967, the party succeeded in having 25 of its candidates elected to the House of Representatives. The Komeito has since declared its independence from religion. Its aims include the construction of a welfare society based on the concept of "humanitarian socialism". [See Table 2.: Political Strengths in the National Diet (as of January 11, 1989)] The Democratic Socialist Party was formed in January 1960 by a group that broke away from the JSP the previous year. It stands against extreme ideologies and is dedicated to the creation of a socialist society through democratic processes. According to the party's platform, the DSP, which endeavors to "overcome capitalism and totalitarianism, whether of the left or of the right," is not a class party but "a popular party that recognizes the diversity of interests among various social groups and at the same time the existence of common national interests." The Japan Communist Party was founded as an underground political association in July 1922. It came out into the open as a legal party after World War II. The JCP aims at the realization of a communist society in Japan through "a democratic revolution of the people and a subsequent socialist revolution." The United Social Democratic Party was officially formed in March 1978 through the merger of two minor political groups, one of three Diet members who bolted the Socialist Party the previous year and the other of three Diet members in the Socialist Citizen's League. Its objective is the realization of a "new and liberal socialism." Executive Executive power is vested in the cabinet, which consists of the prime minister and not more than 20 ministers of state and is collectively responsible to the Diet. The Prime minister, who is designated by the Diet and must be a member of the Diet, has the power to appoint and dismiss the ministers of state, all of whom must be civilians and a majority of whom must be members of the Diet. If the House of Representatives passes a resolution of nonconfidence or rejects a resolution of confidence in the Government, the cabinet must resign unless the House of Representatives is dissolved within 10 days. As of March 1988 there were 12 ministries and 32 agencies, in addition to the Prime Minister's Office, and a total of 1.18 million government employees, including 273,000 personnel of the Self-Defense Forces. In addition to these, there is a Board of Audit, an independent constitutional body, which is responsible for the annual auditing of the accounts of the state. Japan is divided into 47 prefectures, including the Tokyo metropolis, and local administration is conducted at the levels of prefectural, city, town, and village governments, each with their respective assemblies. The prefectural governors and city, town, and village mayors, as well as the members of the local assemblies, are elected by the registered voters within the district concerned. As of April 1987 local governments had a total of 3.22 million employees, including 1.31 million teachers and 247,000 police officers. Judiciary The judiciary, which is completely independent of the executive and legislative branches of government, consists of the Supreme Court, eight high courts, a district court in each of the prefectures except Hokkaido, which has four, and a number of summary courts. In addition, there are many family courts to adjudicate domestic complaints. The Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and 14 other justices. The chief justice is appointed by the Emperor upon designation by the cabinet, and the 14 other justices are appointed by the cabinet. The appointment of the justices of the Supreme Court is reviewed in a national referendum, held during the first general election for the House of Representatives following their appointment; the reappointment of justices after a 10-year term is likewise reviewed. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort in determining the constitutionality of any law, order, regulation, or official act. The lower court judges are appointed by the cabinet from a list of persons nominated by the Supreme Court. All lower court judges are appointed for 10 years, although there is no restriction on their reappointment. All judges are independent in the exercise of their conscience and are bound only by the Constitution and the laws enacted thereunder. Judges can only be removed if so ordered by a court of impeachment, consisting of members of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors, or if they are judicially declared mentally or physically incompetent to perform their official duties. Every judge must retire at an age set by law. Trials must be conducted and judgment declared publicly, unless a court unanimously determines publicity to be dangerous to public order or morals. However, trials of political offenses, offenses involving the press, or cases relating to the rights of the people as guaranteed in the Constitution must always be conducted publicly.