Since Japan is a constitutional monarchy, Japanese politics works differently from our politics, as we are a republic. In the monarchy, the head of state (monarch), being a ceremonial role that has no control over the government, is not elected. In Japan’s elections, the head of government (Prime Minister) and the state ministers are elected.
If you are wondering how Japanese politics and government work, what the governmental method is, how many parties exist, among other things, in this article I will clarify how the government administers the archipelago.
How the Government of Japan Works
Japan is a multi-party democratic constitutional parliamentary monarchy, where the Emperor is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government and head of the Cabinet of Japan.
Legislative power rests with the National Diet (which would be comparable to our National Congress), which is composed of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Judicial power rests with the Supreme Court and lower courts, and sovereignty rests with the Japanese people under the Constitution of 1947.
Just like in Brazil, there are several political parties in Japan, as there are more than 30 Japanese parties in total. However, since 1955, one of the Japanese parties known as 自由民主党 (Liberal Democratic Party) has dominated elections in the chambers along with the 民進党 (Democratic Party).
Of the more than 30 parties, only 11 parties are represented in the National Diet. The other parties are represented by local city halls/provinces.
What is the people’s participation in Japanese politics?
Japan is a nation with good education and preparation of young people for the job market. However, regarding politics, younger people have little or no interest in voting.
Women do not feel very welcomed in politics, given the small number of women in Japanese politics.
The segment that actually votes is middle-aged to elderly men, the majority being elderly.
This is something that, at the same time, is a concern for politicians in general since the elderly population will soon pass away. The young population will remain as the electoral base. But politicians are not very concerned about changing legislation in favor of the younger population. Essentially, they support the retirement of the elderly.
Women find few opportunities in politics as Japan still maintains a fairly conservative culture regarding women. In Japan, women cannot maintain a job and a child at the same time. What is expected of women is marriage and the role of housewife.
Young people and women do not see many options for themselves in politics. As a consequence of policies favoring men and retirees, they distance themselves from politics and abstain from voting.
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