Topic: Issues related to Japan
Political instability of Japan and its implications
Introduction
Japan is a country of islands which extends across the eastern or what is commonly referred to as the Pacific coast of Asia (Ellington, 2009). Japan has an estimated total population of 127 million. In discussing the political instability together with its strategic impact, it is first necessary to have a background understanding of the political structure of the country itself.
Japan is one of the many constitutional monarchies in Asia having a parliamentary government. As such, there is practice of universal human suffrage where a secret ballot is done for all elective offices. The Emperor, who initially was embodied with the sovereignty of the country, is today the symbol of state while sovereignty is presently vested in the people of Japan themselves.
The government of Japan is a parliamentary democracy, with two Houses: 1). the House of Representatives (also called the Lower House) and House of Councilors (occasionally referred to as the Upper House). Executive power of the government rests with the Cabinet which is comprised of a Prime Minister and Ministers of State. It should be noted that both the Prime Minister and the Ministers of State must be civilians. In addition, the Prime Minister is required to a member of the Diet and must be designated by his fellow members of the Diet (Ellington, 2009). It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister to appoint and relegate ministers, majority of them must be members of the Diet.
Political parties in Japan
In Japan, there are some seven notable political parties which have representation in the National Diet. These include: the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the People’s New Party (PNP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Japan Communist Party (JCP%
