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 Government: Constitutional monarchy with emperor
as state symbol. Parliamentary form of government. Elected
bicameral
legislature called National Diet, consisting of House of Councilors (upper
house) and House of Representatives (lower house). General elections every
four years or upon dissolution of lower house; general elections every three
years for half of upper house. Administrative Divisions: Forty-seven administrative divisions:
forty-three rural prefectures (ken), two urban prefectures (fu--Kyoto and
Osaka), one metropolitan district (to--Tokyo), and one district
(do--Hokkaido). Large cities (shi) divided into wards (ku), then into
precincts (machi or cho) or sub districts (shicho) and counties (gun).
 Justice: Civil law system heavily influenced by British and American
law. Independent judiciary consisting of Supreme Court, high courts,
district courts, and family courts.
Politics: Although in 1994 no party had a majority, Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP) had a sizable plurality, followed by Social
Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ). Other parties included: Sakigake
(Harbinger) Party, Shinseito (Renewal Party), Komeito (Clean Government
Party), and Japan New Party.
Foreign Affairs: Major aid donor to developing countries. Maintains
diplomatic relations with virtually all countries of world. Closely aligned
since World War II with United States policies but takes neutral and
independent stand on some issues. Member of Asian Development Bank, Colombo
Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and the
Pacific, International Whaling Commission, Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations and its affiliated
agencies, and a number of other international organizations.
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