Japan Mini-lecture Post WWII Japan

Occupation Reforms 2 major goals of SCAP (Macarthur’s title was Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers) –Demilitarization Article 9 (peace clause) Very successful—Japanese are reluctant to use force (Iraq) –Democratization Remove authoritarian tendency Decentralization

SCAP Constitution Changed the status of the Emperor –figurehead: “symbol of state” Fusion of powers (like U.K.) Women given the right to vote Cabinet members had to be civilians Judiciary had power of judicial review (but rarely used it) – appointed by Cabinet

Japan’s Parliamentary Cabinet System The current Constitution adopts the Parliamentary Cabinet system. This is a system in which the existence of the Cabinet including the election of the Prime Minister is dependent on parliamentary confidence in the Cabinet. The Constitution institutionally clarifies such a system by the following stipulations. 1) The Prime Minister shall be designated from among the members of the Diet by a resolution of the Diet. (First paragraph of Article 67) 2) A majority of the Ministers of State must be chosen from among the members of the Diet. (Proviso of the first paragraph of Article 68) 3) The Cabinet, in the exercise of executive power, shall be collectively responsible to the Diet. (Third paragraph of Article 66) 4) The Cabinet must be given confidence by the House of Representatives. (Article 69 and 70) Source: lhttp://

Political System reforms Diet – voters cast 2 votes –300 single-member districts –200 seats assigned by proportional representation LDP has dominated Japanese politics for most of post WWII era Cabinet System—most power in cabinet –Junichiro Koizumi (Prime Minister)

Socioeconomic Reforms of SCAP Overhaul education curriculum –Promote democracy and individualism Encouraged strong unions Implemented land reforms After 1947, the goal of reforming Japan changed to one of boosting its economy –WHY? Cold War

Political Culture Egalitarian (meritocracy) –One of most equal distributions of income in the world Few ethnic minorities & social cleavages –Discrimination against Koreans, burakumin & women still a problem

Issues Facing Japan Unemployment (see chart & graphs on next pages) –10 years of being in and out of recessions –Shift towards service sector employment – Peace clause –Neighbors are worried about a militarized Japan, but US wants Japan to start defending itself

Unemployment Rates Source: Statistics Bureau, MPHPT; Cabinet Office [In percent] Year JapanCanadaFranceGermanyItalyKorea, Rep. ofU.K.U.S.A #