According to Politicsezine, Japan is an island country located in East Asia. It is surrounded by four different countries, including Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and China. To the north of Japan lies the Russian Far East and the Sea of Okhotsk. The Kuril Islands lie between Japan’s northernmost point and Russia’s southernmost point. North Korea is located to the west of Japan across the Sea of Japan. South Korea lies directly south of Japan across the Korea Strait. To the west of South Korea lies China, which shares a maritime border with Japan across the East China Sea. The Chinese mainland is separated from Taiwan by a narrow strait known as the Taiwan Strait.

Government of Japan

According to Programingplease, the Government of Japan is a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy. It is headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Emperor of Japan and approved by the Diet, the country’s legislative body. The cabinet is composed of members from different political parties and is responsible for carrying out government policies. The government also has independent administrative agencies which are responsible for specific areas such as finance, defense, education, and health. The judicial system in Japan consists of a Supreme Court and several lower courts.

The Diet is the highest law-making body in Japan and consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. The House of Representatives has 475 members that are elected through proportional representation. The House of Councillors has 242 members who are elected from 47 electoral districts with two representatives from each district being chosen every three years to serve six-year terms in office. The Prime Minister must have majority support from both houses in order to pass legislation into law. There are also several independent advisory bodies that offer counsel on various issues such as economic policy, foreign affairs, and national security matters.

Recent Heads of Government of Japan

Shinzo Abe was the Prime Minister of Japan from 2012 to 2020, making him the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history. He belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party and was a member of the National Diet. During his tenure, he implemented several economic reforms, such as Abenomics and structural reforms, which helped to revive Japan’s economy. He also implemented several foreign policy initiatives, such as improving relations with China and South Korea and seeking a closer relationship with the United States. Under his leadership, Japan also became an active participant in international organizations like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and United Nations peacekeeping missions. In addition to these achievements, Abe was also praised for his efforts towards constitutional reform and gender equality in Japan.

Following Shinzo Abe’s resignation due to health issues in 2020, Yoshihide Suga became Prime Minister of Japan on September 16th of that same year. Suga belongs to the same Liberal Democratic Party as Abe did before him and is seen largely as a continuation of Abe’s policies with some minor changes. Suga has already made some progress towards his agenda including reforming public schools and helping small businesses affected by COVID-19 by providing subsidies for their operations. He has also expressed support for continuing negotiations on the TPP despite US withdrawal from it during Abe’s term. As of 2021, Suga continues to lead Japan’s government with strong approval ratings among voters.

Major Political Parties in Japan

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is the dominant political party in Japan and has been in power for almost all of the post-war period. The party is considered to be conservative and nationalist, promoting economic growth and fiscal responsibility. It also favors a strong military, close ties with the United States, and a focus on economic development. The LDP has traditionally been supported by large corporations, rural communities, and the elderly.

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is the main opposition party to the LDP. Established in 1996, it has become a major political force in recent years with its popular platform of social welfare reforms, greater civil liberties and rights for women, as well as a reduction in government spending. It also favors closer ties with other Asian nations such as China and South Korea. In 2012 it won control of both houses of parliament for the first time but was unable to hold on to power for long due to internal divisions within its ranks.

The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) is an influential left-wing party that promotes Marxism-Leninism and opposes capitalism. It advocates nationalization of major industries, redistribution of wealth through taxation, stronger labor rights protection, free healthcare and education for all citizens, environmental protection policies, nuclear disarmament and closer ties with North Korea among other things. Although it holds only 8 seats in parliament due to its uncompromising stance on many issues it still manages to remain relevant by mobilizing large numbers of supporters during elections or protests against government policies.