Japan Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Japan

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Tokyo

Political subdivisions: 47 prefectures

Legal system: civil law system with English-American influence; constitution promulgated in 1946; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court, accepts compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday Birthday of the Emperor, 29 April

Branches Emperor is merely symbol of state; executive power is vested in Cabinet appointed by the Prime Minister, chosen by the lower house of the bicameral, elective legislature—Diet (House of Councilors, House of Representatives); judiciary is independent

Government leaders: HIROHITO, Emperor (since December 1926); Yasuhiro NAKASONE, Prime Minister (since November 1982)

Suffrage· universal over age 20

Elections· general elections held every four years or upon dissolution of lower house, triennially for half of upper house

Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP I, Y. Nakasone, president, Japan Socialist Party (JSP), M. Ishibashi chairman; Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), S. Tsukamoto, chairman; Japan Communist Party (JCP), T. Fuw a Presidium chairman. Clean Government Party (CGP), Y. Takeiri, chairman; New Liberal Club(NLC), Y Kono; Social Democratic Federation (SDF), S. Fda

Voting strength: (1983 election' Lower House—45.8% LDP 19 5% JSP. 10.1% CGP, 9.3% JCP, 7.3% DSP, 2.4% NLC, 0.7% SDF 5% independents and minor parties; Upper House—35.3% LDP, 24 3% JSP, 10.5% JCP, 7.8% CGP, 5.7% DSP, 12% NLC, 11.8% independents and minor parties

Communists: approximately 470,000 registered Communist Party members

Member of: ADB, ASPAC, Colombo Plan, DAC, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO ICO, IDA, IDB- -

Inter American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, 1HO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ISO, 1TC, ITU, 1WC—International Whaling Commission, IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

NOTE: The information regarding Japan on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Japan 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Japan 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.