Japan - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Japan, it was the English word for Japan comes via the Chinese name for the country "Cipangu"; both Nihon and Nippon mean "where the sun originates" and are frequently translated as "Land of the Rising Sun". The Government system in this country is the parliamentary constitutional monarchy type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
National symbols
Red sun disc, chrysanthemum; national colors: red, white.
The flag
The National flag of Japan has white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Kimigayo" (The Emperor's Reign) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | unknown/Hiromori HAYASHI |
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note: adopted 1999; unofficial national anthem since 1883; oldest anthem lyrics in the world, dating to the 10th century or earlier; there is some opposition to the anthem because of its association with militarism and worship of the emperor
More about the government of Japan
| Date of Independence | 3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Birthday of Emperor NARUHITO, 23 February (1960); note - celebrates the birthday of the current emperor |
| Legal system | civil law system based on German model; system also reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1890; latest approved 6 October 1946, adopted 3 November 1946, effective 3 May 1947 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the Diet; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority of both houses of the Diet and approval by majority in a referendum; note - the constitution has not been amended since its enactment in 1947 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Japan |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | Emperor NARUHITO (since 1 May 2019) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Shigeru ISHIBA (since 1 October 2024) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the prime minister |
| Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary; the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister |
| Election results | 2024: Shigeru ISHIBA (LDP) elected prime minister on 27 September 2024; upper house vote - 143 of 242 votes; lower house vote - 291 of 461 votes (note - ISHIBA resigned as prime minister on 11 November 2024 following parliamentary elections but was re-elected over Yoshihiko NODA (CDP) in the second round of voting in the lower house, 221-160) 2021: Fumio KISHIDA reelected prime minister on 10 November 2021; upper house vote - Fumio KISHIDA (LDP) 141, Yukio EDANO (CDP) 60; lower house vote - Fumio KISHIDA 297, Yukio EDANO 108 |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral National Diet or Kokkai consists of: House of Councilors or Sangi-in (248 seats; 148 members directly elected in multi-seat districts by simple majority vote and 100 directly elected in a single national constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with half the membership renewed every 3 years) House of Representatives or Shuugi-in (465 seats; 289 members directly elected in single-seat districts by simple majority vote and 176 directly elected in multi-seat districts by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve up to 4-year terms) |
| Elections | House of Councillors - last held on 10 July 2022 (next to be held in July 2025) House of Representatives - last held on 27 October 2024 (next to be held by October 2025) |
| Election results | House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/grouping as of January 2024 - LDP 116, CDP-SDP 40, Komeito 27, JCP 11, Ishin 21, DPP 11, Reiwa 5, OW 2, NHK 2, independent 12; composition - men 182, women 66; percentage women 26.6% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 26.7%, CDP 21.2%, Ishin 9.4%, DPP 11.3%, Komeito 10.9%, Reiwa 7%, JCP 6.2%, Sanseito Party 3.4%, CPJ 2.1%; seats by party as of October 2024 - LDP 191, CDP 148, Ishin 38, DPP 28, Komeito 24, Reiwa 9, JCP 8, Sanseito Party 3, CPJ 3, SDP 1, Independents 12 ; composition - men 392 men, women 73; percentage women 15.7% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court or Saiko saibansho (consists of the chief justice and 14 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in constitutional issues |
| Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court chief justice designated by the Cabinet and appointed by the monarch; associate justices appointed by the Cabinet and confirmed by the monarch; all justices are reviewed in a popular referendum at the first general election of the House of Representatives following each judge's appointment and every 10 years afterward |
| Subordinate courts | 8 High Courts (Koto-saiban-sho), each with a Family Court (Katei-saiban-sho); 50 District Courts (Chiho saibansho), with 203 additional branches; 438 Summary Courts (Kani saibansho) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador YAMADA Shigeo (since 27 February 2024) |
| Chancery | 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 238-6700 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 328-2187 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html |
| Consulate(s) general | Chicago |
| Consulate(s) | Anchorage (AK), Atlanta, Boston, Denver (CO), Detroit (MI), Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville (TN), New York, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), Seattle (WA) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Rahm EMANUEL (since 25 March 2022) |
| Embassy | 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 |
| Mailing address | 9800 Tokyo Place, Washington DC 20521-9800 |
| Telephone | [81] (03) 3224-5000 |
| FAX | [81] (03) 3224-5856 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://jp.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo |
| Consulate(s) | Fukuoka, Nagoya |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 26 (21 cultural, 5 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area (c); Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (c); Himeji-jo (c); Shiretoko (n); Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan (c); Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (c); Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (c); Yakushima (n); Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)(c); Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (c); Shirakami-Sanchi (n); Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (c); Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (c); Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (c); Shrines and Temples of Nikko (c); Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (c); Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (c); Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (c); Ogasawara Islands (n); Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (c); Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites (c); Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining (c); The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (c); Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region (c); Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (c); Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (n); Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (c); Sado Island Gold Mines (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Japan
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Japan
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