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Japan

JAPAN : PARLIAMENTRY RULE IN THE LAND OF CONSENSUS

Like other asian societies, Japan had no democratic traditions prior to 1947.In fact ,its history and culture often worked against Western democratic ideas. Yet today Japan is one of Asia’s oldest parliamentary democracies (the other one,India,came into being at the same time but under very different circumstances ).To see how this remarkable transformation come about ,we must first sketch the historical background of Japan.

Historical Background

Japan’s feudal era lasted until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.At the time ,under the guise of recapturing ancient glories .a new emperor(the Meiji dynasty) was crowned ,and the modernization of Japan was begun.Although some lip service was paid to democracy,Meiji Japan remained an oligarchy .A group of elder statesmen, or , genro, dominated the government. The role of the emperor was long thought to be largely symbolic, but recent scholarship suggests that this interpretation is wrong. Worshipped as a flesh-and-blood deity, the emperor personified national unity, but the apparently also played an active role in decision making at crucial times.

Domestically ,Japan made great progress during this period . Economic development was promoted ,protected ,and subsidized by a modernizing elite. Only the basic or strategic industries were government –owned. This program of economic modernization was modeled after that of the west. Despite periodic opposition from rural landowners, the government force-fed the economy with a program of capital development designed to promote heavy industry.Within a few decades , the leaders of the Meiji Restoration according to one authority, ”abolished feudal institutions,legalized private property in land,started a Western-style legal system ,established compulsory education ,organized moderm department of centre and local government ,and removed the legal barriers between social classes.”

With the conclusion of World War 1...