7. Constitution of Japan

♤ Japan has a Parliamentary system of Government.

♤ It has a constitutional Monarchy

o King is more like a ‘Rubber stamp’ authority while PM is head of the Cabinet

♤ Election of the PM

o PM is elected by both the Houses of Japanese Parliament (called Diet).

o The two houses of the Diet are:

 House of Representatives; and

 House of Councillors

o It is not enough for a person to be a leader of the majority party. He has to be elected by both the houses of the Parliament.

 If no agreement is reached upon between the two houses on a candidate, then the matter is taken care of by a Joint Committee of both the houses. The Committee gets 10 days to arrive upon a decision.

 After 10 days, if an agreement cannot be reached, then the will of the lower house prevails.

♤ A significant feature of Japanese Constitution is contained in Article 9.

o Herein, Japan formally renounces the policy of war for the settlement of international disputes. However, it can keep forces for self-defence.