Japan

Japan (Japanese: ??, Nihon or Nippon) is a country on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. Known as the "Land of the Rising Sun", Japan lies to the east of the Asian continent, and is composed of over 3,000 islands. The largest and main islands are, from north to south, Hokkaid?, Honsh? (the largest island), Shikoku, and Ky?sh?. The Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, are southwest of the main islands.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Japan

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The Diet

Political scientists consider Japan to be a constitutional monarchy, based largely upon the British system. The "highest organ of state power" is its bicameral parliament, the National Diet of Japan, or Kokkai. The Diet consists of a House of Representatives (Lower House or Shūgi-in) containing 480 seats, elected by popular vote every four years or when dissolved, and a House of Councillors (Upper House or Sangi-in) of 242 seats, whose popularly-elected members serve six-year terms. There is universal adult (over 20 years old) suffrage, with a secret ballot for all elective offices.

Related Topics:
Political scientist - Constitutional monarchy - Parliament - National Diet of Japan - House of Representatives - House of Councillors - Suffrage - Secret ballot

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The Cabinet is composed of a Prime Minister and ministers of state, and is responsible to the Diet. The Prime Minister must be a member of the Diet, and is designated by his colleagues. The Prime Minister has the power to appoint and remove ministers, a majority of whom must be Diet members. The conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been in power since 1955, except for a short-lived coalition government formed from its opposition parties in 1993; the largest opposition party is the liberal-socialist Democratic Party of Japan.

Related Topics:
Cabinet - Prime Minister - Liberal Democratic Party - Coalition government - Democratic Party of Japan

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The Imperial Household

The Imperial Household of Japan is headed by the emperor, whose status has been vague, at best. The constitution of Japan defines the emperor to be "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people", while what the symbol refers to (e.g., head of state?) or whether the emperor is a political, cultural, ethnic, moral or even spiritual symbol has been subject to much debate. He performs only ceremonial duties, and holds no real power; not even emergency reserve powers. Sovereignty, previously embodied in the emperor, is vested in the Japanese people by the Constitution. Though the official status is disputed, in diplomatic occasions the emperor tends to behave and be seen as though he were a head of state.

Related Topics:
Imperial Household of Japan - Emperor - Constitution of Japan - Reserve power - Japanese people - Head of state

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Akihito (明仁) is the current and 125th Emperor of Japan. He assumed the throne after the death of his father, Hirohito, on January 7 1989, formally becoming the 125th Japanese monarch on November 12 1990. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, married a commoner, Masako Owada, and the couple gave birth to a girl, Princess Aiko. The Imperial Household Law of 1947 limits succession to males: since neither of the former Emperor Hirohito's sons have a direct male descendant, some public and parliamentary members perceive Chrysanthemum Throne continuity to be in jeopardy, despite a line of succession seven levels deep. This perception, and a new regard for women's rights led some to call for revision of imperial law, to allow succession through females.

Related Topics:
Akihito - Emperor of Japan - Hirohito - January 7 - 1989 - November 12 - 1990 - Crown Prince - Naruhito - Masako Owada - Princess Aiko - Imperial Household Law of 1947 - Chrysanthemum Throne - Women's rights

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Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Japan

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Japan is a member state of the United Nations, the G8, and the G4 nations, and is one of the major donors towards international development.

Related Topics:
United Nations - G8 - G4 nations - International development

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Japan has territorial disputes over islands that were controlled by Japan before World War II. They are the southern four islands of the Kuril Islands, administered by Russia, as well as the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo in Korean, Takeshima in Japanese), administered by South Korea, and the Senkaku Islands (Chinese Diaoyutai), claimed by both the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. The disputes are in part about the controls of marine and natural resources, such as possible reserves of crude oil and natural gas.

Related Topics:
World War II - Southern four islands - Kuril Islands - Russia - Liancourt Rocks - South Korea - Senkaku Islands - People's Republic of China - Taiwan - Crude oil - Natural gas

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