The Japanese Political System

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From the Meiji Restoration era, democratization efforts were undertaken to modernize Japan. A bicameral system of legislature as well as local, though unelected assemblies were created in the image of the Prussian model (Haddad, 2012, p. 50) and a Constitution placing absolute power with the monarch was formed. Although the main intention of the oligarchs behind the Constitution was to have the national Diet as an advisory body, they "created a series of 'transcendental cabinets' which answered to the Emperor" (Haddad, 2012, p. 50),
Bureaucrats were important tools during this period as they were the people with the knowledge necessary to enable the country to function. .... This importance placed in them stemmed .... As a large component of the mission led by Tomomi Iwakura to learn and bring back the modern, advanced systems in the West which allowed could be used to modernize Japan.... Involved the adoption of the French police system, the American agricultural power and ability as well as modernizing and revolutionizing the way of life (Haddad, 2012, p. 51).... built up the country - tech, banking, factories, etc

The sub-cabinet does not have a legal existence, but for the majority of the time since a cabinet was allowed to be formed, the sub-cabinet, a collection of the top bureaucrats from each ministry (generally the Vice Ministers) and the Chief Cabinet Secretary has existed in some form. It comes together to set policy for their respective ministries in addition to forming a layer which allowed for greater coordination and exchange of information between the bureaucracies and politicians in the Cabinet.

In 2009, when the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took power, attempts were made to follow through with campa...

... middle of paper ...

... In Building Democracy in Japan (pp. 46-72). Cambridge University Press.
Koellner, P. (2011). The Democratic Party of Japan: Development, Organization and Programmatic Profile . In A. Gaunder (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics (pp. 24-35). London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Reed, S. R. (2011). The Liberal Democratic Party: An Explanation of Its Successes and Failures . In A. Gaunder (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics (pp. 14-23). London, United Kingdom: Routledge .
Stockwin, J. A. Chapter 7: Who Runs Japan? In Governing Japan: Divided Politics in a Resurgent Economy (4th ed., pp. 46-72). London, The United Kingdom: Blackwell.
(2011). Party Politics in Japan. In J. A. Stockwin, T. Inoguchi, & P. Jain (Eds.), Japanese Politics Today: From Karaoke to Kabuki Democracy (pp. 89-107). New York, New York, United States of America: Palgrave Mcmillian.

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