Is Japan a Democracy, or Not - Essay Example

 Is Japan a Democracy, or Not? Or something in-between? Japan is a constitutional monarchy. The power of the Emperor is limited. He is the ceremonial figurehead. Constitution mentions him as “the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people”. Power vests with the Prime Minister and the elected members of the Diet. The people of Japan are sovereign. On diplomatic occasions, The Emperor plays his role as the Head of the State. The National Diet is a bicameral parliament. It consists of a House of Representatives with 480 seats. They are elected by a popular vote once in four years. The House of Councilors has 242 seats. They too are popularly elected for a term of six years. The eligibility age for vote is 20 years. The Emperor of Japan designates the Prime Minister, who is the head of government. This appointment is done after the candidate for the post of Prime Minister is selected by the Diet. What type of democracy is it? Majoritarian or consensus? What characteristics does it have that makes it so? Japan is Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. Its post- World War II constitution was adopted on May 3, 1947. Universal adult suffrage with a secret ballot for all elective offices is followed. Sovereignty, previously embodied in the emperor, is vested in the Japanese people now. Japan's current political system, has something tangible to do with its defeat in the World War II. Subsequent to its occupation by United States, the post-war constitution of 1947 is anti-militarist. Japan has no rights to wage war and it has no armed forces. A limited Self-defense Force exists. The Constitution of Japan was drawn up subsequent to its occupation by Allied Forces. As per the constitution, Japan is a democratic country. The Liberal Democratic Party is in power without break for more than 50 years. The Executive Branch: Before World War II, Emperor was hailed as divine. Now he is the ceremonial figurehead. The Prime Minister is appointed by him for a term of four years. The Cabinet Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister and he can have a maximum number of 14 Ministers. Additional three special members are permitted. Half of the Cabinet Ministers must be from the members of the Diet. The Legislature Branch: This is named as Diet. Decisions are by majority vote and in special cases, two-thirds majority is required. Of the 480 seats of House of Representatives, 300 are elected from single member constituencies and 180 are elected from multi-member constituencies as per the system of proportional representation. The Sangi-in or House of Councilors, has 242 seats. In every three years only half of its membership is re-elected. Of them,73 are elected from 47 prefecture districts and 48 are elected from a nationwide list by proportional representation. The prefectures are not sovereign entities as compared to the States in USA. They depend on the Central government for financial assistance and subsidies. Kesselman writes, “....bureaucrats are responsible for policy implementation....as in most other parliamentary systems, such as those in.......and Japan...”(p.175) Political Parties: Though a democracy, one party, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party(LDP) dominates the Japanese political scene, since 1955. In 1993 it was out of power for a short duration of 11 months, when opposition coalition was in power. The other important party is social liberal Democratic Party of Japan(DSPJ). In the General Election of August 2009, it came to power by winning 308 of the 480 seats. It now controls both the Houses. Public funding to political parties is permitted since 1994.Factionalism , in both the parties, is the prominent feature of politics in Japan. The seven major political parties represented in the National Diet are the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the People’s New Party (PNP), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the New Clean Government Party (Komeito), the Japan Communist Party (JCP), and Your Party (YP). In Japan the party in power commands a thumping majority, it is more than two-third. In his book “Patterns of democracy,” Arend Lijphart discusses such a post-election situation, which is applicable to the present conditions prevailing in Japan. He writes, “ The majoritan answer is simple and straightforward and has great appeal because government by the majority and in accordance with the majority's wishes obviously comes closer to democratic ideal of “government by and for the people” than government by and responsive to a minority.”(p.2) Even when the process of formation of governments at various levels is completed, the functioning of democracy takes a different shape. Mark Kesselman writes, “In many countries, such as Japan....personal connections and informal net-works play a large role in policy-making and implementation.”(p.71) The Judicial Branch:Judicial--civil law system based on the model of Roman law is applicable in Japan. The Supreme Court is the highest legal body. Following the recommendations of the Cabinet, the Chief Justice as well as fourteen judges are selected and appointed. The retiring age for the judges is 70 and once in 10 years, the tenure of the judge has to be confirmed by referendum. Japanese judicial system is more or less is on the European civil law, particularly that of France and Germany. The judiciary is independent. There are several levels of courts with the Supreme Court at the top. The Bill of Rights in the constitution is similar to the U.S. Bill of Rights. Supreme Court has the right of judicial review. In Japan no jury system exists nor there are administrative or claims courts. All decisions are made on the basis of legal statues. The final interpretation of all laws vests with the Supreme Court. What type of political economy does it have? The economy of Japan ranks next to United States which is first in the world. In terms of purchasing power parity its position is third, the first and second being United States and China respectively. Going by the Big Mac Index, the wages in Tokyo are the highest among the important cities in the world. The workers rank 18th in the world in GDP per hour worked( as of 2006.) The economy of Japan is often hailed as the post-war miracle. The growth has been stunning. But it slowed down during the 1990s. The economy began to recover between 2003-07, under the stewardship of Junichiro Koizumi. The natural resources of Japan are inadequate to keep pace with its growing economy and large population. Most of the mineral ores are imported. The nation's forest resources that cover about 70% of the country are not utilized. Due to various factors, Japan does not exploit its own forest resources for economic gain. Japan has the best of manufacturing and processing industries to take care of the raw materials imported from abroad. The strategy of economic development demands establishment of a strong economic infrastructure for providing the required energy, communications, transportation and technological know-how. Japan's manufacturing system is energy efficient and zero-landfill waste formula. What is its executive-legislative structure? Parliamentary, Presidential, Semi-Presidential? Emperor: Even now, in the post World War II era, The Emperor is the symbol of the unity of the people of Japan, and on the advise and approval of the Cabinet performs important functions like promulgation of amendments of the Constitution, cabinet orders and treaties, receiving foreign ambassadors and many such ceremonial functions. He is supreme symbolically and in real terms he has no power. He appoints the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of the Supreme court as recommended by the Diet and the Cabinet. The Imperial Throne is dynastic and son succeeds father. Diet:The composition and formation of the Diet have been explained in elsewhere in this essay. It begins its 150 day ordinary session from January each year. It can be extended only once by the Diet. The Cabinet may decide to convene extraordinary sessions whenever it thinks fit. Cabinet: Enjoys the executive power. It consists of Prime Minister and not more than 17 Minsters of state, including Ministers without portfolio and the Chief Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet exists at the mercy of the Prime Minster. The Prime Minster is designated from the members of the Diet and he must be a civilian. The Constitution provides for a Board of Audit and it is an independent body to audit the final accounts of the state, public corporations and agencies. Judiciary:The final judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court. The other courts are High Courts, District Courts, Family Courts and Summary Courts. The Chief Justice is appointed by the Emperor. The Judges of the subordinate courts are appointed by the Cabinet from the list of persons nominated by the Supreme Court. What kind of electoral system does it have? The Electoral System of Japan provides for three elections. General elections to the House of Representatives, held once in four years. Elections to the House of Councilors held once in three years to choose one-half of its members. Local body elections held once in four years for offices in prefectures, cities and villages. Each administrative level has election committees to supervise the elections and the overall direction is with the Central Election Administration Committee. Every individual, both sexes, can vote if they are twenty and satisfy the three-month residency requirement. The age limit for the contestants is twenty-five years of age for admission to the House of Representatives and most local offices, and thirty years of age for admission to the House of Councilors and the prefectural governorship. What are the most important issues or problems that the country is facing now? In 2005, Japan's population declined for the first time. The life expectancy exceeds that of United States, thanks to high health and sanitary standards. Japan is mainly an urban society with about 4% of the labor engaged in agriculture. The metropolitan cities of Japan have all the problems associated with the modern materialistic civilization- overcrowding, congested roads,pollution, rising crime rates and juvenile delinquency. World War II was the turning point in the economic, social and political history of Japan. With the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered and all its overseas territories were dispossessed. Japan was placed under international control in an effort to change the most aggressive country to a peaceful one. “The United States and 45 other Allied nations signed the Treaty of Peace with Japan in September 1951. The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in March 1952, and under the terms of the treaty, Japan regained full sovereignty on April 28, 1952.”(Fasid International....) Agriculture is not priority in the economy of Japan, as less than 15% of its land is arable. The agricultural sector is highly protected and subsidized. Japan imports its food requirements like wheat, corn, soya bean etc mainly from United States. It has reduced its dependence on petroleum as a source of energy and it uses other sources of like coal, nuclear power, liquified gas and hydro-power. Japan is one of the most energy-efficient developed economies of the world. 42% of the labor force of Japan are women. Trade Unions are strong in Japan. Kesselman writes, “ In many industrialized democracies, such as …...and Japan, a central trade union confederation groups.....”(143) exists and it is deeply involved in the process of collective bargaining. Foreign Relations: Japan has diplomatic relations with all independent nations. It is the member of United Nations since 1956. In recent years, the security issues have drawn greater attention. Its Self Defense Forces have rendered sterling services in more than one areas. The military role for Japan in international affairs is restricted, as constitution bars it and discussions are now doing rounds for re-interpretation of revision of Article 9 of the constitution. Japan's close relationship with USA is the foundation of the foreign policy and for strategic protection, the issue is governed by Mutual Security Treaty. Japan signed a peace and friendship treaty with China in 1978. But some of the post World War II issues are still lingering on. Its relations with Russia are far from normal as both the sides are adamant on the territorial dispute over the islands that make up the Northern territories(Southern Kuriles) seized by the USSR during World War II. Japan provides bases and financial and material support to U.S. forward-deployed forces,that go to maintain stability in the region. USA currently maintains about 50,000 troops in Japan, a big chunk of it is stationed in Okinawa. The study related to the economic development of Japan in post World War II era engages the attention of politicians and economists all over the world. Japan is one of the top ten countries of the world. Referring to such countries Frank Wilson writes, “These countries are sufficiently prominent that they appear regularly in our newspapers. They are also the countries that are most often used in introductory courses in comparative politics because of their international stature or the particular political features that they illustrate. The countries offer a range of political experience that allows comparisons of issues such as historical impact on contemporary politics, development, change, legitimacy, democratization, and political performance.” (Introduction, 2001) Conclusion: Suitability of any political system for a particular country goes by the prevailing conditions. What was suitable for Japan during the pre-war era, is certainly not suitable now. Power equations change suddenly due to national and international developments. Analysis and classification of the political system and judgments based on it are not faultless aphorisms. As Kesselman rightly observes, “ As you have probably already learned, political science is particularly concerned with the study of power: how it is gained, lost, used, abused, organized, distributed and contested.” (p.5) Notwithstanding the stupendous economic progress made by Japan, the sum and substance of this observation is eminently suited to the present-day Japan! *********** Works Cited: FASID International Symposium Prospects and Issues Facing Japanese ... Retrieved on March 6,2010 Kesselman, Mark(Author), Krieger, Joel(Author), Joseph, William A(Author) Abrahamian Ervand(Author) Basu Amrita(Author).Introduction to Comparative Politics; Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition,March 18, 2008. Lijphart, Arend. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries (Paperback);Yale University Press, July 11, 1999. Wilson, Frank L. Concepts and Issues in Comparative Politics: An Introduction to Comparative Analysis; Prentice Hall; 2 edition, November 4, 2001. 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